Stolen Half 3: Family of Thieves
by TMNTfan1
Summary: Summer has ended, and with it a new chapter has begun for Alia and the VKs. Everyone is figuring out what to do with their lives, and for Alia that includes college. But it seems Mal's idea of bringing down the barrier around the Isle has opened up a whole new set of dangers. How will this affect Alia, who is already struggling with everything life is throwing at her? (After D3)
1. Chapter 1

Alia paused, taking a deep breath before turning the key in the lock and opening the door. She held a box to her chest as she stepped forward into the room before her. There was a door that lead to a small bathroom to her right, and straight ahead was the main part of the dorm room. There was a window straight across the room, and a bed on either side of the window. There were dressers against the walls at the foot of each bed, and a mini fridge against the left wall, almost across from the bathroom, with a microwave sitting on top of it. Judging by how empty the room was, her roommate had yet to arrive.

"Looks like your roommate isn't here yet." a familiar voice sounded from behind her as a couple pairs of footsteps followed her in. Alia approached the bed on the right and set her box on it, dropping her backpack from her shoulders as she glanced over at her parents, who followed her in, each carrying something. Her mother, Sultana Jasmine, was pulling a purple suitcase with wheels. Her father, Sultan Aladdin, was carrying another cardboard box. And a couple guards that they'd brought from Agrabah were carrying larger suitcases and boxes.

"She'll probably be here within a few hours. Freshmen are only allowed to move in today." Alia guessed, seeing as she had yet to meet her college roommate. She only knew her name.

Everyone set down their things at the foot of Alia's bed, and the guards stepped out into the hallway.

"Are you _sure _you don't want to go to college a little closer to home?" Jasmine asked, partially teasing but also a little hopeful that she'd convince her daughter to move closer to home.

Alia sighed, smiling warmly at her mother. "Mom, I'll be fine. I won't be here any longer than four years, then I'll be home in Agrabah. Besides, Triton's Bay is much closer to home than Auradon Prep was. And Jay's only a few hours drive away in Sherwood Forest. I want to…explore a bit more of Auradon before I become Sultana. And getting a better education will certainly be helpful, too."

Aladdin wrapped an arm around his wife, both were dressed a bit more casual this weekend to help their kids move into the college dorms. "She's got a point, Jaz. We've got to let our kids get out there and see the world a bit. You should know that better than anyone."

Jasmine pursed her lips. "Oh, of course I do! That doesn't make it any easier! My babies are growing up too fast! And they've already saved Auradon twice in eighteen years of life!"

"Jay kinda did three times, if you count Ben's coronation a couple years ago." Alia pointed out lightly.

Jasmine sighed, rolling her eyes slightly. "Yes, that too. Don't remind me."

"And to be fair, Jay and I didn't play _that _big a part in saving Auradon a couple months ago. It was mostly Mal." Alia added, though she was slightly downplaying her and Jay's rolls earlier in the summer.

Jasmine narrowed her eyes at her daughter, knowing exactly what she was doing.

Her parents stayed another half hour, the guards bringing the rest of Alia's things to the dorm. They would have stayed a lot longer if Jasmine had her way, but there wasn't much else they could really do to help Alia unpack. She could do the rest by herself. She certainly didn't want her father to help unpack her underwear or anything.

She was sitting on the floor a couple hours later, unpacking her cloths from her suitcases and putting them in the drawer by the bed she'd chosen. She was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. She stood up, setting the shirt she'd just folded in one of the drawers. She turned to face the door just as another girl entered the room, carrying a large duffel bag over her shoulder and wheeling a suitcase behind her. When her eyes landed on Alia, she smiled in greeting.

The girl had similar traits to Alia's, such as tan skin and dark hair, but that was about where the similarities ended. While Alia was of Arabian descent, this girl appeared to be Native American. Where Alia's black hair was long, thick, and wavy, this girl's black hair was thinner, straight, and longer than Alia's. Alia's hair, having been cut just after graduation, was just past her shoulder blades, and she'd added layers at Evie's suggestion. Her roommate's hair went to the small of her back. Where Alia had curves, her roommate was a few inches taller than her, slender, and her jean shorts and tan tank top showed off toned muscles. She had tan skin, though it looked a couple shades lighter than Alia's. She had a small nose; full lips; thin, black eyebrows; and blue eyes.

"Hi. I'm Alia; your new roommate." Alia greeted her, holding out her hand in greeting.

"Hi. I'm Pakuna. It's nice to meet you." she returned the greeting, shaking Alia's hand. An older couple entered behind Pakuna, and she stepped aside to introduce them. "These are my parents, Pocahontas and John Smith."

"Nice to meet you." Alia greeted them, shaking first Pocahontas's hand, and then John's.

"You as well." Pocahontas returned with a warm smile.

Pakuna's parents stuck around for about an hour before leaving the two girls to unpack. Pakuna was fine with Alia taking the bed on the right, leaving the left side for her. While they unpacked and decorated their sides of the room, they got to know each other better.

"So, you've met my parents. What are yours like?" Pakuna asked from across the room, where she was hanging a painting on her wall.

Alia was sitting up on her bed. Both beds in the dorm were loft beds, so they were rather high up with ladders to get up to them, and in the space under the bed was a small desk for doing school work and a small drawer for clothes. Alia had already set up her purple and cream bedding and pillow on her bed. Now she was hanging pictures on the wall above her pillow. It was an idea her and Lonnie had seen online months ago. She was draping Christmas lights back and forth a couple times along the wall above her pillow, and hanging photos from the wire with wooden clothespins.

"My parents are Aladdin and Jasmine." Alia explained briefly. "Sultan and Sultana of Agrabah."

"Oh, wow." Pakuna glanced over her shoulder, her eyebrows raised slightly. "Does that mean you'll take over for them eventually? What are you doing going to college then?" she joked.

Alia laughed. "Well, I figured I have plenty of time before that happens, so I thought getting a further education could help in the long run. And, technically my brother's the next in line, but we agreed to rule together instead of with a spouse."

"You have a brother, too? How old is he?" Pakuna asked.

"Yeah, Jay. He's my twin. He's four minutes older, so _technically _he's the heir to the throne, but we agreed to ruling together. He's going to college at Sherwood Forest University to play Swords and Shields for the Arrows. We dropped him off yesterday." Alia explained briefly.

"You probably get along better with him than I do with my brother." Pakuna admitted. "I have a younger brother named John Jr., but we just call him JJ. He's starting his junior year and he's on the tourney team. He's about as annoying as any little brother."

Alia laughed. "I think that's brothers in general. Jay's _finally _decided to stop being so overprotective. You'd think he'd have learned after I made the Swords and Shields team last year, but then I got a boyfriend and he got even worse. I think he finally got it in his head this past summer." Alia didn't mention how he probably got it in his head. She'd helped do a lot of crazy things when Audrey stole Maleficent's scepter, including fighting a bunch of enchanted suits of armor.

"You've got a boyfriend? What's he like?" Pakuna asked curiously.

Alia picked up one of the photos she had yet to hang on the wall. She leaned slightly over the edge of the bed, stretching her arm out. Pakuna briefly took the photo to look at. "He's the one next to me that has no obvious resemblance to me." Alia joked lightly.

In the photo, Jay stood with his arm around Lonnie's waist. Lonnie and Alia were in the middle with their arms over each other's shoulders. On Alia's other side was her own boyfriend of almost a year and a half, Li Shang Jr. Most people called him Li'l Shang still, a nickname from when he was younger, but Alia just called him Shang. Jay, Lonnie, and Alia were all in their Swords uniforms and Shang was in his Assistant Coach shirt, as the photo was taken just after one of their last games.

Pakuna nodded. "Nice. He looks cute. And I'm guessing the other guy is your brother. Who's the girl?"

"Lonnie. She's one of my best friends. And she's Shang's younger sister. _And _she's Jay's girlfriend." Alia explained with a laugh, taking the photo back and hanging it up next to a photo of her and Jordon, Genie's daughter.

Pakuna laughed, too. "Wow. Best friends dating each other's brothers? Risky, isn't it?"

"A bit, I suppose." Alia admitted, scanning her pictures to find the next one to hang up. "But we all four agreed not to cross any lines. Jay can't get in Shang's face about anything to do with our relationship, Shang can't do the same, and so on. Though there's still plenty of teasing." she admitted with a grin. The grin was both at the thought of all the teasing there had been from all sides, and because she'd found a photo of her and Jay from back home. Jay had Abu, their dad's monkey, on his shoulder while Alia had her arms wrapped around the thick neck of Raisa, her tiger.

Later that night, Alia was sitting up in her new bed, her laptop on her legs as she passed the time, waiting for a good time to go to bed. She was interrupted by her phone ringing atop her blanket by her hip. Picking it up, she grinned at the image the greeted her on the caller id and answered it.

"Hey." she greeted into the phone.

"Hey, 'Lia." her brother's voice answered. "How's your first day as a college student?"

Alia rolled her eyes. "_Technically_, that's not until tomorrow. I'm just living on a college campus."

She could practically hear him rolling his eyes. "You just have to be sarcastic, don't you?"

"Of course." she answered as if it were obvious. "What about you? Made Swords Captain yet?" she teased.

"No, but it's only a matter of time." Jay joked back. "No, but really, they don't typically allow freshman to be Captain. But team tryouts are tomorrow afternoon. I've already got a guaranteed spot on the team, obviously, since it's the main reason the college wanted me to come here anyway, but I guess there are a couple spots to fill."

Alia nodded. "Yeah, our tryouts are tomorrow, too. I'm mostly excited, but a little nervous."

"Ah, you'll be fine. What classes do you have?"

Alia glanced over the edge of her bed, where her backpack was several feet below on the ground, by the foot of the ladder. "I don't know, I don't have my schedule memorized yet, and I'm too lazy to get up and look. I know that my first class in the morning is Algebra."

"Ew. Starting the day with _math_? Are you a glutton for punishment?" Jay joked.

Alia rolled her eyes. "It's not my fault. It was the only open time that didn't conflict with the rest of my classes. Believe me, it wasn't my first choice. I thought about just not taking a math class this semester, but I figure if I can get most of my boring or unpleasant classes out of the way early, I can focus on more fun classes later."

"Yeah, Mom said you signed up for _six _classes? That's, like, _eighteen _credit hours? You know you only need twelve to be full time, right?" Jay checked incredulously.

"Yeah, but they also recommend taking about fifteen to make sure you graduate on time. Eighteen credits is only one class more than that." Alia pointed out calmly.

"Still. All that on top of hopefully being in a sport? That'll be a lot of work."

"Says the guy who skates by in school with minimal effort." Alia retorted with a smirk.

"Hey, I get good grades." Jay argued good-naturedly.

"_Average_ grades." Alia countered, grinning.

"Average is better than failing. Besides, I didn't get a full ride scholarship for my grades. _And _I got an offer from MIT." Jay bragged.

"They only wanted you for your body." Alia joked, unable to hold in a short laugh. Jay's laugh echoed through the phone. "Hey, I better get going. We both need to get up in the morning for class. Talk to you tomorrow."

"Sure. Night, Sis."

**OoOoO**

**It's been a while since I've done anything with these characters. I actually had to go back and reread the first two stories to get back in touch with all the characters!**

**For anyone who's new to these stories, you may want to go back and read the first two Stolen Half stories or you'll be very confused.**

**Not very much happening in the first chapter, but please review and let me know what you all think so far!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to all the wonderful reviews so far!**

**It was also brought to my attention that I should probably put an actual warning on this story. Since this takes places **_**after **_**Descendants 3, there will obviously be quite a few spoilers. In fact, part of the main plot revolves around a major spoiler from D3.**

**So, if you haven't watched Descendants 3 yet, I strongly suggest you do. Both to avoid spoilers, and because it's just an awesome movie.**

**I also used information from both Descendants 3 and the last Descendants book **_**Escape from the Isle of the Lost**_**, like what some of the characters are doing after high school.**

**With that, enjoy this chapter!**

**OoOoO**

Alia's eyes scanned over the words in the open textbook before jotting down a few notes in the open notebook in front of her. She paused to take another bite of pasta before resuming.

She was interrupted by her phone ringing on her lunch tray. She glanced at it, a smile lighting up her face when she saw the picture of her and Shang on her phone screen, him in casual clothes with his arm around her waist, and her in her graduation robes from a few months back. She reached over and answered the phone, putting it to her ear.

"Hey."

"Hey, what's up? How's your first day of classes?" Shang asked.

"Not bad. I had Algebra and Intro to Business so far, and I have Composition this afternoon. I'm working on homework for Business right now. What about you? What are you up to?"

"Just got done working out a bit. We're leaving tomorrow for our next match." Shang answered. He'd gone on to play Swords and Shields professionally after being the Assistant Coach at Auradon Prep. Lonnie had recently joined him, and they both played for their home team the Great Wall. "So, homework on the first day, huh? Kinda glad I skipped college." Shang joked.

Alia rolled her eyes. "All I've got so far is that we have to read the first chapter of our Business text book and take notes. I can easily do that while eating my lunch so I don't have to deal with it later."

"When are Swords tryouts? You're still planning on trying out?"

"Yeah. It's at three o'clock in the gym. I have plenty of time between my next class and tryouts. Any pointers?" she joked.

"Hmm. You did just fine making the Auradon team. Just try not to take on a whole crew of pirates or anything." Shang joked.

"Hey, that wasn't me trying out for the team." Alia argued, grinning. "That was me helping save the King of Auradon."

"Oh, my apologies." Shang mocked playfully, laughing. "Either way, you'll be fine. There won't be as much backlash now that the rules have officially been changed to allow girls on the team. Think you'll be the only girl?"

Alia shrugged, glancing around the fairly full cafeteria. It was different from the high school cafeteria. While sitting alone at lunch would have been cause for ridicule back in Auradon Prep, it was fairly normal in college. She could see some tables were full of people laughing and eating or just hanging out. But some tables only had one or two people looking at laptops or with headphones on.

"I'm not sure. I haven't really gotten to know many other girls yet, and it's not as if I go around asking people if they're going to try out." Alia pointed out.

"Well, either way, don't let it intimidate you. You've got this." Shang assured her.

Alia smiled, her eyes lowering to her tray. "Thanks, Shang. I better get going, but I'll call you later or something."

"Sure. Good luck. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye."

Alia finished up her homework and lunch, went to her last class of the day, and before she knew it she was heading off to Swords and Shields tryouts. She walked into the gym with her backpack still over her shoulders. She was dressed in casual clothes that wouldn't be too out of place in a gym; just tennis shoes, yoga pants, and one of her new t-shirts from the college, the name Triton's Bay Tridents printed across her chest with an image similar to King Triton's Trident sticking up behind the words.

The gym was mostly empty apart from about half a dozen people sitting in the first few rows of bleachers. Alia noticed a small group of girls apart from everyone, but judging by how they were giggling and tossing their hair, they were just there for the view, not to try out. Alia walked past them and stepped up to the second row of bleachers. She dropped her bag on the seat next to hers and sat down, propping her feet up on the bleacher seat in front of her so she could rest her elbows on her knees. She noticed some of the guys nearby casting her glances, a couple looking her over and probably checking her out, but she just kept her chin raised and ignored them.

They waited for several minutes, about half a dozen more students trickling in and joining them in the bleachers. Finally, an adult came out of what Alia guessed was the locker room. He was holding a clipboard and was wearing a collared shirt with the college logo. He was probably about the same age as Alia's parents, he was tall with broad shoulders, tan skin, and he had short, dark hair. He came to a stop in front of the bleachers and clasped his hands behind his back, standing at attention and Alia guessed he was former military or something similar. Maybe a guard.

"Alright, this is the Swords and Shields tryouts, not a performance. So, if you're not here to try out for the team, I suggest you find somewhere else to hang out for the next few hours." he called loudly. The group of girls nearby practically whined, and a few others groaned as about half the students in the bleachers stood and headed for the door.

There was a few seconds of silence as Alia and several others surveyed the movement.

"Hey, that means you, too, princess." a voice called from a few feet away. Alia looked over to see the largest group of boys all staring at her expectantly. Alia had a feeling the boy who'd spoken, who she couldn't quite pinpoint among the group, didn't actually know she was a princess. He was probably just calling her that to demean her or something.

Alia lifted her chin slightly, eyeing the whole group. "I'm here to try out." she pointed out shortly.

A couple of the guys laughed in disbelief.

"Girls aren't allowed on the team." one boy pointed out, speaking to her as if she was a child. He had white hair and blue eyes, and Alia recognized his voice as the one who'd spoken to her earlier.

"Actually, they are as of last year." another boy pointed out before Alia could. He was much shorter than any of the others, and he vaguely reminded Alia of Doug.

"What?" a couple guys asked in disbelief.

"That's right." the Coach called. "The rules were officially changed last year so that girls can join the Swords teams just like guys can. She's allowed to try out just like the rest of you. We don't have time to argue over it, though." he added with a pointed look at some of the guys, who'd probably opened their mouths to do just that. "We've got nine spots to fill and…fifteen people trying out. So, let's get started.

"As some of you may know, I'm Coach Patrick. I was one of Prince Eric's top sailors until about five years ago, when I retired and took the post of Swords Coach here at Triton's Bay. Some of you make me question that choice." he added, glancing pointedly, yet with a smirk, at some of the guys. "Now, we have a lot to get through in a little amount of time. So, this is how we're going to do it. All of you will compete against three other people at random, and not all in a row. Whether or not you make the team isn't necessarily determined by how many matches you win. There are multiple variables, including skill and the length of your match. And just because you were on the team last year doesn't automatically guarantee you a spot this year." he added with another pointed look at a couple of the guys, who smirked.

"I'll gladly wipe out the pretty princess." one of the other boys called, smirking up at Alia, who rolled her eyes.

"Knock it off, you guys, or I won't even bother letting you try out. I'll disqualify you for harassment." Coach Patrick threatened sternly. He glanced down at the clipboard in his hand, which probably had the sign up sheet. His eyes lingered for a moment before glancing over at Alia. "You're name Alia Ababwa?" he asked. Alia nodded her head silently. She wasn't really used to people using her last name. Most people just knew her as Aladdin and Jasmine's daughter, last names weren't usually necessary. The Coach nodded in return, eyeing her contemplatively. "You were one of the first girls allowed on a Swords and Shields team, down at Auradon Prep, right?"

"Yes, Sir." she answered with a nod.

"Wait, Auradon Prep?" one of the guys interrupted, glancing between her and the coach before looking at Alia. "You were on the same team as Jay?" he asked in amazement.

Alia refrained from rolling her eyes as she nodded her head. Figures. Everyone knew Jay by his skill with a sword nowadays.

"Hold up." another guy interrupted, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. This guy looked of similar ethnicity to Alia, with tan skin and sleek black hair. "Ababwa? As in Aladdin and Jasmine's daughter? As in _Jay's _sister?" he checked, causing a couple guys to laugh.

"No wonder! The only way you made the team was because your brother's the Captain!" the guy with white hair laughed, which was echoed by a couple others.

Alia rolled her eyes yet again. She was used to comments like that. Chad used to say the same basic things, about both Alia and Lonnie. How Alia's brother was Captain and she was dating the Assistant Coach, and vice versa with Lonnie.

"Enough, Elliot." Coach Patrick called, sounding annoyed. "Keep it up and you're out. Got it?" Elliot nodded, though he didn't look like he believed the older man. "Alright. As last years Captain, we'll start with Harvey and…William."

Two boys stood up from the bleachers and made their way to the large, blue mat on the floor between a couple large blocks. One boy was fairly tall with auburn hair and fair skin, and he walked with confidence. He'd stood up a few seconds before the other boy, so Alia assumed he was Harvey, the team Captain. The other boy, William, had much lighter brown hair and he was a few inches shorter and thinner.

The match was only a few minutes long, which was about average. Harvey came out as the winner. There were a couple more matches before Alia's name was called. She stood and approached the mat, grabbing a sword from the floor on the way. She was facing a guy named Aaron. He watched her with serious eyes from under short blonde hair before his face was hidden by his mask. Alia pulled hers down over her own face. She waited patiently, her eyes fixed on her opponent. Then, he lunged. Alia stepped to the left, her sword coming up to block his attack as he missed her.

He moved fast, his sword coming out and striking hers over and over from different sides. Alia continued stepping back as she merely blocked his attacks. He managed to hit her shoulder, and she spun around to swipe his ribs. She felt her heel bump the block behind her and grinned slightly. She swiped her sword out at Aaron, causing him to step back, and she took that moment to leap up onto the block. She heard a couple guys 'ooh' but she ignored them. Standing higher than her opponent, Alia leapt off the block and somersaulted over his head. It was a move she and Lonnie had practiced and perfected over the past year.

While directly over his head, Alia swiped her sword out toward his neck. He ducked it and she barely missed. When Alia landed, she ducked and spun around, swiping her leg out against Aaron's ankles. She didn't knock him over, but he did stumble and she took advantage of that. She lunged out and her sword tapped Aaron under the jaw, winning her the match.

Aaron froze before he sighed. "I yield." Alia stepped back and Aaron turned around, pulling off his mask to eye her closely. Alia removed her mask, tucking it under her arm as she bowed slightly to him. It was a second before Aaron bowed in return.

"One victory to Alia." Coach called as Alia and Aaron made their way back to the bleachers. She noticed most of the guys were openly staring at her, a few gaping. She ignored them and took her seat to watch the next match.

There were several more matches before Alia was up again, this time against Dominic, the shorter guy who'd sort of stood up for her earlier. Dominic had already played and won one match so far. He was a strong competitor, and his shorter stature made it hard to actually get in a hit. He got in several good hits on Alia, and nearly won the match, but Alia was able to dodge the strike toward her neck.

Looking back, Alia would consider it a sloppy victory and she definitely respected Dominic's skill. She stumbled and ended up rolling over her shoulder, barely coming up to her knees in time to strike her sword out and tap Dominic's neck.

When they bowed to each other, Dominic gave Alia a small smile, which she returned. And when they returned to their seats, Alia noticed that Dominic didn't return to his exact seat, but he took one on the edge of the group closest to Alia. He didn't really sit with her, but Alia considered it a small victory.

It was a while before Alia's name was called again, considering there were fifteen people, each partaking in three matches each. But Alia watched each match closely. There were a couple people she could easily guess were going to make the team, and there were a variety of fighting styles.

Finally, Alia's name was called for the last time, and she was up against Elliot, the boy with white hair. His arrogant smirk grated on Alia's nerves, but she forced herself to focus. Getting angry wouldn't help her.

They pulled their masks down and Alia waited, watching Elliot closely. It wasn't even a second before he flew out swinging at her. Alia would hate to admit it, but he was good. He was a fierce fighter and fast, hardly giving her time to keep up, and he moved with elegance that spoke to years of training.

Alia stayed on the defensive, her usual tactic. She was able to get in a few hits, which she guessed irritated him judging by how he got more aggressive in his attacks.

Alia spun around and got him in the shoulder. In retaliation, he leapt and spun, his foot coming out. It hit Alia in the ribs before she could dodge it. She stumbled sideways and into one of the blocks. Elliot's sword came at her face and she ducked to avoid it, making her already unsteady footing worse and causing her to practically fall onto her face.

Instantly, she felt the cold metal of the sword hit her neck a bit harder than was necessary. She sighed in defeat.

"I yield." she called tiredly. The sword disappeared and she pulled the mask off, rolling over and sitting up to watch Elliot walk away. He tossed his mask and sword to the ground, his fists raised in victory as several of the guys cheered for him. Alia sighed, climbing to her feet and returning to her seat, trying not to let her bitter disappointment show on her face.

There were a couple more matches before Coach finally announced it was done. He glanced down at the clipboard he'd been making notes on before looking over all of them.

"Harvey's the only person to win all three of his matches, leaving him still undefeated. So, Harvey remains as team Captain. Harvey." Coach waved the named student up. "We're going to go discuss a few things, and when we come back we'll announce who made the team."

With that, Coach Patrick and Harvey walked to the other side of the gym, leaning against the wall as they looked over the clipboard and discussed things in hushed tones.

"So, you're Princess Alia." a voice spoke, drawing Alia's attention back to the group of boys to find most of them watching her. The boy who looked Arabian was the one who'd spoken. "Jasmine's daughter."

Alia wasn't sure how to really respond. He obviously already knew that. And why did he call her just "Jasmine's daughter"? Why not mention Aladdin?

"I'm Prince Amir." the boy told her arrogantly, running his hand through his previously-perfectly combed hair. "My father's Prince Achmed. I'm sure your mother's told you about him."

Alia's brow furrowed, trying to place the name. "Uuumm,…no, I don't think so." she answered slowly before a light bulb went off in her head. "Oh! Wait. You mean that Prince my mother's tiger bit in the butt?"

Amir's tan cheeks darkened and he scowled as several people snorted or laughed.

"That…_creature _should have been destroyed for attacking my father." Amir snapped, looking sulky.

"Why, because he's a good judge of character?" Alia countered lightly, fighting down anger at the insult of Rajah, her childhood protector who'd passed away when Alia was fourteen. "And if he'd _really _attacked your father, you wouldn't be here." she added, her voice almost taking on a darker tone. Because it was true; if Rajah _really _wanted to attack someone, they wouldn't live to see the next day.

Before he could respond, Coach Patrick and Harvey returned and stood side-by-side in front of them all.

"Alright, we've decided on the eight remaining members of the team." Coach announced.

He listed each name briefly, almost being drowned out by applause when he named Elliot and Amir. Alia clapped politely, though a bit more genuinely when he named Dominic. However, with each name listed Alia felt a growing sense of anxiety. What if she really didn't make the team?

Finally, when he came to the last name, Coach looked Alia right in the eyes as he announced her name.

Alia silently sighed in relief, though otherwise tried not to give away any emotions. Most of the gathered people clapped politely, though she noticed a couple didn't clap at all, and whispered among themselves.

"I ask you all spend a minimum twenty hours a week practicing, so about two hours a day on your own outside of our two hour practices. First practice is tomorrow at four o'clock. If that conflicts with your schedule, let me know and we'll try to work something out."

Alia walked out of the gym feeling a sense of accomplishment at making the team and proving herself. But for some reason, it didn't feel as good as she thought it would.

**OoOoO**

**Let me know what you thought of chapter 2!**

**And you met some new characters when Alia made the team. The Coach I made up from scratch, but all the guys on the Swords team that I mentioned are descendants of Disney characters. Any guesses on who they are? Some will probably be revealed down the road. If I can't think of a way to casually incorporate it in the story, I'll reveal them eventually in an Author's note.**


	3. Chapter 3

Alia sat at a table next to Pakuna the next day in her Chemistry class. She pulled out everything she might need from her backpack; her textbook, notebook, and a pencil. The classroom was almost full, made up of almost twenty students. Pakuna introduced her to Scarlett, a girl from one of her other classes. They were all talking while they waited for class to start. It was scheduled for noon. It was three minutes after and some of the guys were already discussing how long they had to wait before they could walk out if the teacher didn't show up.

However, in that moment a man strolled in casually, setting a briefcase down on the desk at the front. He was an older gentleman, probably nearing retirement age. He had light skin, mostly gray hair and a receding hairline, and a pencil mustache. His dark eyes scanned over the students in the room, lingering briefly on Alia before looking down at his briefcase as he opened it.

"I'm Mr. Price. If you're here, you're currently in Intro to Chemistry. I'm about to do role call, if your name isn't on here that means you're in the wrong class." he announced in a bored tone as he pulled a couple papers out.

One boy stood up awkwardly and slunk out, probably in the wrong class. Alia had seen that happen a couple times already, and thankfully it hadn't happened to her yet. Triton's Bay was small enough it wasn't too difficult for her to find her way around, it was only slightly bigger than Auradon Prep.

Mr. Price nodded once before beginning to do role call. When he finished, he asked one of the students to pass out the syllabus.

"Now, we're going to be going through a chapter a week. If you can't keep up with that, you'll fall behind and fail this class." he announced bluntly.

Alia glanced away from the syllabus to exchange a look with Pakuna, whose eyebrows were raised. A few other students had similar looks. That was a bit…dramatic, wasn't it?

"As you can see on the syllabus, today we're starting with chapter one, about matter. Open your textbook to page six." he ordered.

There was a quick rustling around the room as everyone opened their textbooks, some even having to dig the books from their bags. Most teachers hadn't really started teaching anything yet, at least not right at the start of class. Most spent the first class going over the syllabuses. While it was a nice change of pace to actually start learning something, this sudden change threw Alia for a loop.

About eight hours later, Alia dragged herself up the ladder to collapse face first on her bed, groaning tiredly.

"Wow, you sound exhausted." Pakuna noticed from where she was working at her desk under her loft bed. "Swords practice rough?"

"It wasn't just that." Alia mumbled before rolling onto her back so she could speak clearly. "I'm sore and physically tired from that, yes. But I'm also mentally _exhausted _from Chemistry. Does he honestly expect us to go over a chapter a week?" she asked incredulously. "I mean, each chapter has at least three sections, some as many as six. How are we supposed to get through all that in a week? Especially when we only have class Tuesdays and Thursdays."

Pakuna sighed and shrugged. "Well, he wants us to read the whole chapter before Thursday, and we'll go over it then. I guess we'll see. But it's definitely not going to be my favorite class. And I can't really drop it, because I kind of need it for my major."

Alia forced her head up. "What do you want to do? You never mentioned."

"A Wildlife Biologist. Basically studying animals and their habitats and stuff. I want to be able to do some good, and I've always loved nature and animals." Pakuna admitted.

Alia nodded slowly. "Hey, I never asked. Did you make the cross country team?"

Pakuna nodded with a proud smile. "Yep. First practice is tomorrow."

"Awesome. The thought of running makes me want to puke right now." Alia announced casually before forcing herself to sit up. "I really need to shower."

She grabbed a towel and pajamas and entered the small bathroom. She stripped off her sweaty workout clothes and stepped into a steamy, hot shower. She was hoping the hot water would make her feel better, and it certainly felt heavenly on her tired muscles. But after a while the pounding water started to give her a small headache. When she got out and toweled off, she left the bathroom and took a small aspirin before climbing up to her bed to start working on homework.

"Your phone rang earlier." Pakuna announced, not looking up from what Alia assumed was homework.

Alia plopped back against her pillow on her bed, grabbing her phone off the blanket and looking at her one missed call. Seeing her brother's name, she figured she should call him back. She did so, waiting while it rang a couple times.

"Hey, Sis." Jay answered.

"Hey, sorry I missed your call. I was in the shower. What's up?" Alia asked curiously, pulling a couple notebooks and things from her backpack, which was sitting on her bed with her.

"Nothing, really. Just wanted to talk. How's the second day of college? Today was your first Swords practice, right?"

"Uh, yeah, that was today. It went pretty well, but I'm exhausted. They want us to practice at least twenty hours a week, so about four hours a day on weekdays. I might have to find a different time to do my own practice, because four straight hours, from four to eight, every weekday doesn't sound like fun." she admitted, not mentioning exactly how practice went. She couldn't flat out lie to her brother, they'd learned early on they simply couldn't lie to each other without the other being able to tell. But she could leave information out. Like the fact she'd had to practice by herself for four hours while most of the team shunned her. And when they weren't shunning her, people like Elliot and Amir were making little digs at her whenever they could. She didn't want to whine to her brother about that. She could take care of herself.

"Yeah, same. I've been doing a couple hours in the morning before class, and then a couple in the afternoon with the rest of the team." Jay told her.

Alia nodded thoughtfully. "That's sounds like a good idea. I think I'll start doing that."

"So, how about classes? What did you have today?" Jay asked curiously.

"Drawing this morning, then Chemistry, and finally History." Alia listed. "Drawing was fine, History was kinda boring, but Chemistry _sucked_. I think I'm going to hate that class."

She could imagine Jay nodding thoughtfully. "You've never much been into science classes, but what makes this one so awful?"

"We only have the class Tuesdays and Thursdays for an hour and a half. And he expects us to get through a chapter a week." Alia explained, still clearly annoyed. Science classes were far from her best subject, she couldn't imagine how she was going to pass this class moving this fast.

"Seriously?" Jay asked incredulously. "Like, what, go through the chapter Tuesday and take a test Thursday, or what?"

Alia nearly panicked. "I-I don't know. He didn't mention tests! He didn't hardly explain anything other than getting right into chapter one! Hold on!" she lunged forward and started frantically digging through her backpack with one hand, still holding her phone in her other hand. She found her Chemistry textbook and soon after found the folder she'd put with it. She yanked it out, flipped it open, and pulled out the syllabus so her eyes could frantically scan over it. She relaxed minimally.

"Okay. Okay, it looks like we're scheduled to go over a chapter a week, and then take tests over every unit, which is every three chapters. So, our first test isn't for a few weeks." she explained before sighing heavily and flopping back against her pillow in relief.

Jay chuckled slightly. "Maybe you should just drop it. You've already got a packed schedule, do you really need the added stress from this class, too?"

"I can handle it." Alia insisted. "Anyway, have you heard from Carlos? How's senior year going for him and Jane?"

"He says it's going good so far. Since he's the only senior, they made him Captain of the tourney team." Jay explained proudly. While Carlos had been possibly the worst tourney player ever when he first joined, he'd greatly improved since then, mostly thanks to Jay and Ben. "And he mentioned Jane's the cheerleading Captain."

"That's great!" Alia grinned widely. Jane was possibly the only cheerleader she actually liked, mostly because she wasn't fake. "I've been texting Evie a bit. It's a good thing Mal decided to live with Evie in the cottage until her and Ben get married. I get the sense Evie's missing Doug since he went to college."

Doug had gone to some college in the Enchanted Wood. Alia believed he was studying music. But he still technically lived with Evie in the cottage she'd bought. Mal, while being engaged to King Ben, was living in the cottage as well even though she was really busy with Queen-type stuff. Evie was also busy continuing with her design business Evie's 4 Hearts, while also obsessively designing Mal's wedding dress and helping plan out the wedding. "Oh, Evie also mentioned that Mal and Ben's wedding will probably either be in spring or summer. They want to pick a time of year when everyone's off school for some kind of break, to make it easier for everyone."

"Cool. I just don't want Mal overdoing it. You know how she gets. She sometimes bites off more than she can chew, especially when trying to protect everyone."

It hadn't really been all that long since Mal brought down the barrier around the Isle. That was only a few months ago, in early June. Luckily, nothing catastrophic had happened. From what Alia heard, Mal, Hades, and Uma were all making sure to keep most of the villains in line. However, it sounded like most people from the Isle just wanted to live normal lives and weren't really much of a problem.

"I'm sure she'll be fine." Alia assured him. "Evie and Ben won't let her overdo it. Besides, doesn't Mal still have those diplomatic visits over the next few months? That could be pretty relaxing. Oh, I wish I could join her at a couple places." Alia sighed wistfully. "She met up with Jordan and Genie in Corona last week, and Rapunzel and Eugene hosted a sky lantern festival. Did you see the photos Jordan posted of it?"

"I don't think so." Jay admitted thoughtfully. "I think the last pictures I saw of hers were in Bayou de Orleans."

Jordon and her father, Genie, had decided to travel the world after Jordon graduated. She'd already been to East Riding, Grimmsville, South Riding, and Hook's Bay. It was something Alia and Jordon had discussed many times over their lives. They wanted to see more of Auradon than just Agrabah and Auradon City. That was why Alia wanted to go to college somewhere that wasn't in either of those two places. Jordon just went a step further and decided to travel the world.

"Well, I'd better get going. I want to get some homework in before going to bed." Alia decided. "I'll talk to you later."

"Sure. Night, 'Lia."

"Night, Jay."

**OoOoO**

**So, not much happening in this chapter, but hopefully everyone likes all the little details about what some of the other characters are up to. I got a lot of that information about Carlos, Jane, and Jordan from the Descendants book **_**Escape from the Isle of the Lost**_**.**


	4. Chapter 4

Alia's fingers flew across the keyboard, her eyes fixed on the bright screen. Finally, she groaned and rubbed at her eyes with her fingers, sitting up straight until her back cracked. She grabbed the cup of coffee from her lap to take a quick swig before leaning back over her laptop.

She'd come up with a sort of schedule in the past week. If it could really be called a schedule with only a week of college under her belt. She would wake up around six every morning during the week to head to the gym, mostly to get in her required two hours of practice and sometimes a quick workout. Sometime after eight she'd take a shower and maybe grab some breakfast if she had time, though usually she just grabbed a coffee, and then she'd rush to her first class. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays she'd rush to Algebra at nine, Business at 10:30, and Composition at one, getting in some homework time and a quick lunch in between classes, though not much. Tuesdays and Thursdays she'd rush to her Drawing class at nine in the morning, Chemistry at noon, and History at two, again squeezing in homework and lunch sometime between. She then went to Swords and Shields practice from four to six, which she usually spent practicing alone for the most part unless Coach Patrick forced them to pair up. She'd then get in another shower, and possibly eat some dinner before or during working on more homework. She'd try to get to sleep around ten so she could get in eight hours of sleep, but so far that was proving to be difficult. She was typically up until nearly eleven, sometimes later, working on homework or studying something. Saturdays and Sundays were a bit better, obviously, but she still tried to work on homework or study, and get in some Swords practice, or at least a workout.

Alia was interrupted working on her Composition essay by her laptop informing her she had a video call. Curious, she answered and a familiar, much-missed face popped up on her screen. She smiled tiredly at Shang, who grinned back at her.

"Hey, I wondered if I could get your attention this way." he joked.

"What do you mean?" Alia asked curiously.

"I've called you a few times in the past few hours." he told her. "I was starting to wonder if you were ignoring me." he joked.

Surprised, Alia turned and pick her phone up off the comforter at her side. Sure enough, she had a few missed calls, all from Shang.

"Sorry. I must have had it on silent." she told him, putting it down and turning back to the screen. "What's up?"

Shang looked her over and Alia was almost tempted to be embarrassed. She'd finished Swords practice a couple hours ago and had yet to take a shower. She probably looked like a slob, with her hair up in a messy bun and just wearing a t-shirt and shorts.

"Is that my shirt?" Shang asked, a smug smirk tugging at his lips.

Alia immediately blushed as she looked down before glaring at him.

"_No_, it's mine." she informed him instantly.

"Are you sure?" he teased. "Because that looks like my name right there. And who's that handsome devil on the front?"

Alia rolled her eyes. Being semi-famous, Shang had quite a bit of merchandise being sold around Auradon. The shirt she was currently wearing was a t-shirt Shang had given her before she left for college. It had his face on it with the words _SHANG LIFE _in huge letters across the top.

"I'm wearing it as pajamas. Don't go getting a bigger head than normal." Alia scoffed.

"So,…you're sleeping in my shirt." Shang smirked again.

"Shut up!" Alia laughed, though the movement caused a sharp pain to shoot through her skull. She flinched but tried to play it off. Unfortunately, Shang noticed.

"You okay?" he asked, worried.

Alia waved it off. "Yeah, fine. Just a small headache. I finished practice a couple hours ago, and I've been staring at this screen ever since. The bright light's probably hurting my eyes. And I probably should drink more water, I've practically been living off coffee." she admitted, lifting the coffee cup nestled in her lap.

"Alia, come on, you know you need to stay hydrated, especially when you're working out four plus hours a day." Shang reminded her.

"Yeah, I know." Alia rolled her eyes, mildly annoyed. She didn't need to be reminded like a child.

"Sorry, not trying to get after you." Shang apologized, clearly noticing his advice hadn't been taken the right way.

Alia sighed, softening at the apology. "I know. Thanks. And I'm sure I'll be fine after some sleep. And maybe something to eat." she added, remembering she hadn't really eaten anything since half a sandwich for an early lunch. "I'm hungry."

"Well, I don't want to keep you, I know you're a super busy college student." Shang told her, grinning once again. "Just make sure to eat something. Need to keep up your energy so you can kick His Royal Highness in the butt."

Alia snorted a laugh, knowing he was referring to Elliot. She'd heard him practically _announce _himself as 'Prince Elliot of Arendelle' on dozens of occasions. Apparently, he's the son of Elsa, and the heir to the Arendelle throne. That probably at least partially explained his arrogance. He reminded her of Chad in that way. Same with Amir. But Harvey was also a prince, and while he was far from being her friend, he wasn't an egotistical jerk like some other princes. Prince Harvey of the Southern Isles was one of the younger nephews of Prince Hans, the man who tried to kill Anna and Elsa. Hans had about a dozen older brothers, one of which was Harvey's father.

"Yeah, but that would require actually being partnered with him in practice. And Coach has yet to pair us up." Alia pointed out. "Believe me, I would _love _a rematch."

"I'd love to see that rematch." Shang admitted with a smirk. "Might be _almost _as entertaining as when you beat Chad at tryouts."

Alia laughed. "I doubt anything could be _that _entertaining." she joked. "But as much as I hate to do this, I really do have at least a couple more homework assignments I'd like to get done before bed. Talk to you later?"

"Of course. Have a good night." Shang agreed.

"You, too." Alia smiled before ending the call. She sat there staring at her nearly-complete essay and thinking about the next few hours. She could probably finish the essay within fifteen to twenty minutes, and she was sure her Algebra homework would take at least a half an hour. So she had plenty of time to get in a quick shower and a bite to eat, which would give her brain and eyes a quick break from her homework. So, she climbed down from her bed and went to the bathroom to shower. The hot water felt wonderful on her sore muscles, and it was amazing to wash away the sweat from practice.

When she stepped out of the shower, she dried off, changed, and braided her hair. But when she approached the mini fridge just outside of the bathroom, she found she wasn't really hungry. She had been earlier when talking to Shang, but now the thought of eating anything made her stomach churn. Even just a snack or peanut butter sandwich didn't sound good. So, she instead grabbed a bottle of water and headed back to her bed to finish her homework.

**OoOoO**

**So, this chapter was super short, but I couldn't think of anything else to add to it. But I'll make a deal with you! If I can get at least five reviews before the end of the week I'll post chapter five early, and it's a nice, long, eventful chapter!**

**So, leave a review, either letting me know what you thought of this chapter, what you think's going on with Alia, any plot theories you may have, or anything you might want to see in later chapters!**

**And it was confirmed in this chapter that Elliot is the son of Elsa, and Harvey is a nephew of Hans. A few people guessed Elliot's parent, but I guess I was too tricky or vague with Harvey's.**

**Also, the SHANG LIFE t-shirt Alia is wearing was something that was actually mentioned in the **_**Escape from the Isle of the Lost **_**book, and I thought it would be cute to include it.**

**Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5

It wasn't long before Alia felt like she was drowning. After the first couple weeks, her homework nearly doubled. She spent at least a few hours per class a week doing homework, and several hours on Chemistry alone. She also started practicing Swords more frequently out of a desire to prove herself to the rest of her team. And that wasn't including Swords meets. After the first couple weeks where they only practiced, they started having as few as two and as many as four meets a week, each at least a couple hours long.

Saturday morning, about a month into the school year, Alia was sitting at her desk in her dorm room, trying to focus on her Chemistry homework after just getting back from a short practice in the gym. She could hear Pakuna rustling about behind her, probably getting ready to leave to hang out with some friends, and she found the sound was distracting and mildly irritating.

Then there was a knock on the door, causing Alia to quietly sigh in irritation.

Pakuna glanced at her roommate, having noticed a change in the past couple weeks, as she approached the door. She answered it with a smile, which became curious when she saw it wasn't one of her cross country teammates.

"Hi, can I help you?" she asked the handsome stranger.

"Yeah, is this Alia's dorm?" the boy asked curiously. Well, boy was probably the wrong term. This young man had long, dark hair, a chiseled face, dark brown almond-shaped eyes, and the muscles of a Greek God. Pakuna recognized him in that moment.

"Oh, yeah it is. You must be Jay. I'm Alia's roommate, Pakuna." she greeted him with a smile, offering her hand.

Jay returned the grin, shaking her hand. "It's nice to meet you. Is Alia here?"

"Yeah, come on in." Pakuna stepped back and waved him in. When Jay stepped past her, he saw Alia sitting at a desk under a loft bed. She was staring at him from her seat.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, the usual warmth missing from her voice. Jay had at least been expecting pleasant surprise. But she almost sounded…indifferent. Or just tired.

"I'll let you guys catch up." Pakuna announced, stepping out of the room.

"Such a nice greeting for your big brother." Jay joked.

Alia rolled her eyes and stood up, approaching her twin to give him a hug. "You're four minutes older." she reminded him quietly, as she often did, though it lacked the usual playfulness.

Jay pulled back from the hug, eyeing her worriedly. "Are you okay?"

Alia glanced down and waved it off. "Yeah, just tired. College is a lot of work."

Jay nodded slowly, not really believing her. "Well, are you ready to get going?"

Alia eyed him in confusion. "What?"

Jay sighed. "Well, that answers one of my questions." he mumbled, partially to himself. "I've been texting and calling you for days, 'Lia."

Alia blinked, not looking at all surprised. "Yeah, I've been busy. Sorry."

She wasn't completely lying. But that wasn't the complete truth, either. She'd been avoiding talking with most of her friends and family for a while now. She'd been busy and hadn't been eating or sleeping as much as she probably should, and she didn't want to worry them. That, and whenever she did talk to them they would nag her about eating or sleeping more and it would just annoy her.

"Well, we're going to a Swords meet today." Jay announced, leaving no room for argument. "Northern Wei is facing Notre Dame. We're going. We haven't seen Shang and Lonnie compete in a while. Shang told you about it, right?"

"Yeah, I think he mentioned it." Alia admitted. And he had. In a text message. Which Alia hadn't responded to. "But I can't, Jay. I have homework that I really need to finish."

"You have all day tomorrow." Jay argued. "And with the amount of work you've been putting in this semester, you're probably getting perfect grades and deserve a break."

That wasn't completely true. She'd been getting average grades. She was doing fine in Drawing, Business, and Composition. But Chemistry especially was kicking her butt. She'd already had one test, and had another one coming up on Tuesday. She needed to do well on that test to make up for the D she got on her first test.

"Jay, I just can't." Alia argued tiredly.

"I drove three hours to get here, almost 2 hours out of my way." Jay pointed out slowly. "I want to see my girlfriend, and one of my friends, compete. I thought you'd want to do the same. Lonnie said she hasn't heard from you in almost two weeks. She really misses you, and I'm sure Shang does, too."

Alia swallowed thickly, feeling both annoyed and guilty. She was annoyed that Jay was guilt tripping her, but it was also working.

Sighing in aggravation, she raked her hands through her hair, her fingers getting caught in the sweaty tangles of her braid. "Fine! Fine. But I need to shower. And we're stopping for coffee on the way."

"Deal." Jay agreed readily, grinning once more. "I'll even buy."

Alia rushed through a shower and changed into some clean clothes. It was nice to wear something other than sweats or workout clothes. Even just wearing her new Triton's Bay Swords and Shields jacket over her _SHANG LIFE _t-shirt and a pair of jeans. She pulled her hair into a nicer braid, and then followed Jay out of the dorm. Jay lead her to where his car was parked out front. He used to have a motorbike, but Harry Hook crashed it on the Isle and he never got around to getting a new one.

Alia tossed her bag into the backseat while sitting in the front passenger seat. It took about fifteen minutes for Jay to stop at the local coffee shop Starfish Coffee to get them both drinks for the road, then they were off, heading Southeast toward Notre Dame.

Jay glanced over at his sister multiple times as he drove. She just sat there, completely silent as she sipped her latte. Her brown eyes were glazed over as she stared straight ahead. He'd seen her lost in thought many times, but not like this. This was different. And he didn't like it.

"So, how's school been?" Jay asked in an attempt to end the silence. "I wish I'd been to one of your meets."

Alia blinked, forcing herself to pay attention. Neither her or Jay had been able to attend each others meets yet, because they were usually during the same days or it was just too far out of the way. So far, neither had been defeated in their college meets.

"Same here." Alia finally responded. "I saw your highlights against Summerland. You did great."

"Thanks!" Jay grinned. "And you did awesome against Camelot. I see you've been perfecting your flips."

A grin tugged at Alia's lips. "Thanks."

"So, how's school been? I see you've been pretty busy." Jay noted. He could tell she'd been living off coffee, since disposable coffee cups took up half the trash in her dorm garbage can, and the bags under her eyes told of many late nights.

"Yeah, it's a lot of work, but I'm managing just fine." Alia shrugged, hoping he wouldn't notice her fib.

"What about your classmates? Teammates? Your roommate seemed nice." Jay urged. He'd never had to push this hard just to maintain a conversation with his sister before.

Alia nodded. "Yeah, Pakuna's awesome. We complain about our brothers a lot." she joked, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"Ha ha." Jay laughed sarcastically, reaching over and slightly messing up her hair. Alia snorted and leaned away from him. "Any other friends? Anyone on your team?"

Alia sipped her coffee, buying herself some time to think of a response. "There are a couple people in my classes that I sometimes sit with or do class work with. Pakuna's in a couple of my classes. Doug's cousin Dominic is on the Swords team with me. He's nice."

"Anyone else?" Jay urged when she fell silent again.

Alia thought about it. She was half tempted to tell him about Amir, the arrogant son of Prince Achmed. She wanted to tell him about how she shot Amir down by mentioning Rajah taking a chunk out of his father's backside. He'd probably get a kick out of it. But then he'd probably get upset about the guys all picking on her, and then they'd get in a fight about him being an overprotective brother. And Alia just wasn't in the mood to deal with that.

"Not really, no." Alia finally answered.

Jay glanced at her once again. "A team of nine, and you don't know any of them? I've already hung out with my whole team about a dozen times."

Alia swallowed a lump in her throat, feeling a mixture of negative emotions that she'd never really felt toward her brother before. Sadness, loneliness, annoyance, jealousy…Why did he have to rub it in that he was already best friends with his whole team while she spent most of her practices alone unless forced to partner up?

Alia didn't respond for several moments, and Jay sighed.

"Alia…talk to me. Please." he asked quietly.

Alia looked out the window, away from him. "I'm fine, Jay. Honestly. I'm just tired. College has been…a lot of work."

Jay sighed again, shaking his head. After several more moments of silence, Jay tried once again to start some kind of conversation. "Did you hear about the museum?"

Alia blinked, glancing over at him. "Museum? No, I don't think so."

"There was a break in earlier this week." Jay explained, watching her from the corner of his eye.

"Someone broke into the museum?" Alia checked slowly. The only time people seemed to break into the museum was to steal some kind of artifact; Jay and the others when they tried to steal the wand, and then Audrey when she stole the crown and Maleficent's scepter.

"Yep." Jay nodded before continuing cautiously, "The evidence suggests the person got into the Gallery of Villains,…and tried to steal Jafar's Staff."

Alia blinked, but otherwise didn't really react. She felt kind of numb. Maybe being tired was slowing her reaction time or something.

"Do they know who it was? The obvious assumption is Jafar. Did the security cameras see anything?" Alia asked quietly.

Jay shook his head, his grip on the steering wheel tightening. "No. A couple shadows, but all the cameras blacked out, like they were turned off or tampered with. They've doubled security and Mal's doing frequent dragon flybys. No one's getting in there again."

Alia nodded slowly, not sure if she believed him or not.

The nearly two hour drive felt like it took forever. Jay kept trying to start a conversation, but Alia just wasn't feeling it. She just wanted to be left alone. She had no idea how she was going to survive this day without snapping at someone.

They finally pulled into an already packed parking lot of a stadium that almost resembled the local cathedral. They climbed out of the car and made the relatively long trek to the building, moving with the crowd of people doing the same. Alia stayed close to Jay so as not to get separated in the huge crowd. She didn't really notice how intently Jay was scanning the crowds of people until he suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her in a certain direction.

Around the edge of the arena, they wove in and out of the crowd until they found a very familiar group of people.

"Jay!" Carlos called, waving his arm high above his head to catch their attention. He was standing with Jane, Doug, Evie, and Ben near the edge of the mat-covered arena. "You guys came!" he exclaimed when they reached the group. Hugs were shared among the whole group. Apparently, all the others had planned out a small road trip to see the match.

Alia forced a small smile as Ben hugged her. "Mal didn't come?" Alia asked quietly.

Ben shook his head with a rueful smile. "No, she's been too busy lately. I have been, too, but she's been doing some Queen training, plus all her political trips, and she's been guarding the museum since the break in. She was flying laps around the city all night last night, and she has a trip to Neverland tomorrow."

Alia nodded simply before letting Jane pull her into a hug. Everyone was chattering excitedly around her, some probably talking directly to her, but to be honest she just couldn't focus. She felt like she was outside looking in.

She was barely able to register that her lack of response was concerning her friends when a voice called over an intercom that the first match would be beginning soon. She blindly followed the crowd to watch the match, unknowing of the pair that stayed behind.

Evie grabbed Jay's arm, pulling him to a stop while the others walked away.

"What's wrong with Alia?" Evie whispered.

Jay glanced after his sister, who was walking with her hands shoved into her jacket pockets. "I don't know." he admitted worriedly. "She was quiet the whole ride here. And lately if I want to talk to her I have to call her five times before she picks up. The last time I heard from her before today was three days ago."

"I haven't heard from her in a couple weeks." Evie added, growing more worried. Anyone who knew Jay and Alia knew how close they were. Both had been slightly nervous about attending different colleges, though they were loathe to admit it. They'd been inseparable since they were reunited when Jay first came from the Isle. They'd spoken on the phone, or via text message, everyday since going to college. To hear that the siblings went days without communicating was concerning.

Jay swallowed the lump in his throat. "I don't like it." he admitted, his eyes fixed on where his sister had come to a stop at the edge of the mat with their friends. "I can normally figure her out. If she's upset, I can talk to her. If she's quiet, I can figure out what's wrong. But I just…I can't. She says it's just college stressing her out, but I think it's more than that."

Evie followed his eyes and watched Alia, too. She was standing with their friends, but apart at the same time. Ben and Doug had their heads bent together, talking and pointing at whatever match they were watching. Carlos had his arm around Jane's waist as they both cheered on whoever was fighting. Then, there was Alia, who was staring blankly ahead, as if lost in thought, her hands still shoved deep into her jacket pockets.

Jay and Evie exchanged a glance before joining the others. They arrived just as the first match ended, earning the Notre Dame team a point. The players bowed to each other before rejoining their teams on opposite sides of the mat. This continued with players and people Alia didn't recognize personally. The teams seemed to be evenly matched. By the time it was Lonnie's turn the teams were tied three to three. Whichever team won the most matches, which would be five, won the meet.

All their friends cheered Lonnie on, and Alia managed to clap and cheer Lonnie's name a couple times. A genuine smile managed to creep onto her face as she watched one of her best friends completely dominate in her match. Lonnie even pulled out a few moves the two girls had perfected together. Within a few minutes, Lonnie won the match. She whipped off her mask with her typical flourish, tucking it under her arm as she offered her free hand to her opponent to help him off the ground. They bowed to each other before turning to return to their teams.

When Lonnie turned around, she caught sight of her friends due to Jay waving his arm. Her grin doubled in size at the sight of them and she waved back before returning to the bench her team sat at. Alia watched, her grin shrinking, as her team and Coach greeted her enthusiastically. They gave her high fives, pats on the back, and even hugs before letting her sit among them. Jealously formed a lump in Alia's throat. Lonnie was a girl, too, but her team respected her and treated her as one of their own. Alia had to fight every minute to gain a scratch of respect from her team, and she was still an outsider. A reasonable, if slightly bitter, voice in Alia's head pointed out that Lonnie's brother was on the team, the Coach was a family friend, and at least a couple people probably knew Lonnie through her parents as well. So it was likely no one would dare badmouth Lonnie even if they wanted to.

Alia was pulled from her dark thoughts by Shang taking his spot out on the mat against a hulk of a guy from the Notre Dame team.

Alia watched the whole match closely, and she couldn't stop her mind from imagining what she would do in the match. If Shang got her on the block, she'd jump to the next block and move around him because he'd expect her to flip over his head. If he swung the sword at her head like he just did, she'd lean back into a small flip, kicking her foot out and forcing him back. If he grabbed her arm and pulled her around, she'd let herself be pulled, using the momentum to whip around and swing her sword at his head.

The match ended sooner than everyone expected, ending with Shang as the victor. The crowd erupted into cheers, nearly drowning out the broadcaster announcing the Northern Wei team as the winners. Shang barely had time to bow to his opponent before he was swarmed by his team. They were all cheering and formed what resembled a giant, bouncing group hug. Lonnie was even in the thick of it, practically on her brother's back with her arms around his neck.

Alia's brother and their friends swarmed forward with the crowd converging on the celebrating team. Alia waited for the wave of people to sweep past her before slowly following in their wake. She watched as Lonnie separated from her team to run at Jay, leaping to his arms. He swung her around, both laughing. They somehow managed to make that seemingly sappy, romantic gesture look simply…well, it just looked fun. They were more than just lovers being reunited or some such cheesiness. They were best friends, one congratulating the other on a victory and simply being happy to see each other.

Alia watched them, numb to anything. She briefly wondered if she shouldn't feel…something. Whether that be amusement, happiness, or even jealousy. But she once again just felt like she was on the outside looking in. She just wanted to go back to her dorm and focus on her homework.

The prickling of someone's eyes burning into her pulled her from her thoughts. Through the mass of heads, Alia glanced up and made eye contact with Shang. He hadn't hardly changed in the last couple years. He strongly resembled his father, Li Shang the first, and was of Chinese descent with firm muscles, chiseled cheekbones, and a strong jaw line. Thick eyebrows sat above narrow, dark brown eyes. He'd cut his hair last year, so that it was no longer a skater dude kind of style, though it wasn't very short, either. It was a couple inches long, black, and currently messily spiked upward with sweat.

Shang was standing in the middle of the chaos, yet his focus appeared to be solely on her. Then, he started moving through the mass toward her. People tried to talk to and congratulate him, but he barely paused to thank them or smile, his eyes continuously going back to Alia's as he approached her. She found her feet shifting nervously. Would he comment on her lack of response to his calls and texts? Would he demand answers or voice concern for her, like Jay had the whole day?

He finally reached her, standing right in front of her, and it was as if they were the only two in the room. He regarded her silently, a small smile on his face as he gazed at her.

Alia finally cleared her throat. "Great match." she finally spoke.

"Thanks. I'm glad you came. I wasn't sure you would." Shang admitted, his voice soft. She barely heard it over the shouts and cheers around them.

Alia wasn't sure how to respond. She just stood there uncomfortably, shifting her feet and clenching her fists in her pockets. Then, Shang suddenly reached out and pulled her into him, hugging her tightly. Alia froze, her body tensing for several moments. Shang's large, warm hands spread out over her back, one moving up under her braid to the back of her neck while the other spread over the space between her shoulder blades. She took a deep breath, Shang's familiar scent of cinnamon and sandalwood was heightened by the light sheen of sweat covering his skin, along with the spicy scent of the oil he used to clean his sword. Her exhale was slightly shuddery as she finally relaxed, melting into his chest and wrapping her arms around his back in return. They stayed like that for several moments, completely oblivious to the world around them. She felt his chin tuck into her neck, and his hand moving over her back. Finally, they pulled away from each other, but Shang's hands were slow to leave her, gently holding onto her upper arms.

"How've you been?" he asked, a warm smile spread over his face.

Alia shrugged, her own smile faltering slightly as she contemplated her lies. "I've been good. Just really busy. Lots of homework. Swords practice. You know." she answered awkwardly, shoving her hands back into her jacket pockets as she took a half step back from him until his hands fell from her arms.

Shang nodded slowly, eyeing her for a long moment. Alia felt like he was picking apart every thought she had with that look alone.

"I've been wanting to go to one of your meets." Shang finally spoke. "You need to send me your schedule or something, see if I can find one that I can make it to."

Alia shrugged. "Yeah, I'll see what I can find out."

Shang nodded, still watching her. "So,…just how much homework do you have to do?" he asked, mostly curious and partially teasing.

Alia shrugged up to her ears, glancing upward in thought. "Um,…well, I probably get about one homework assignment for every class everyday. So,…at least a dozen homework assignments a week, plus whatever reading and studying."

"And do you skip meals to get them all done?" Shang asked, a knowing glint entering his dark eyes.

Alia blinked. "Um,…no?" she answered uncertainly, so it almost came out like a question.

"Alia." Shang sighed, stepping closer to her. "I've hugged you thousands of times since we met. You've lost weight. I can feel your ribs."

Alia's breath caught in her throat and she unconsciously took a step back, away from him. She eyed him warily, but wasn't able to maintain eye contact.

"Alia-"

"I'm fine." she cut him off abruptly. "I'm perfectly fine. I've just been practicing and working out a lot for Swords. I'm not starving myself or anything like that."

"So,…you've been busy." Shang summed up.

"Yes. Very busy." Alia agreed, hoping he would get it and stop bothering her, unlike her meddlesome twin.

"Too busy to answer your phone. Or take two seconds to answer a text." he went on, dashing Alia's hopes of him dropping it to smithereens.

She finally looked up at him. "Shang-" she complained.

"I hear more from Jay than I do you." Shang went on. "And most of that is _him _asking if I've heard from _you_."

"Lovely. So you and my brother talk about me behind my back." Alia snarked, getting annoyed. "Just perfect."

"We're both worried about you. Lonnie, too. She's been asking both of us about you. Apparently you haven't been calling or texting anyone for weeks."

"I've been busy." Alia snapped, her annoyance growing into anger at the constant nagging. "College is a lot of work. But you wouldn't know anything about that."

Shang's expression changed, his patient, concerned look morphing into one of irritation. It took him a moment to respond. "You're seriously going to go after me for not going to college?" he asked incredulously. "College isn't for everyone. I took time to figure out what I wanted to do, and then I went after what I wanted. Aren't you the same person who said you respected me for doing that?"

"Yeah, well, I'm a good liar." Alia grumbled, looking down at her feet. "Point is, you have a lot more free time than me. So excuse me for not taking time out of my busy schedule to check in with you."

"What is your _deal_?" Shang finally demanded, though it was more bewildered than actually angry, though there was some anger there. "Where is this coming from? This isn't the Alia I know. This isn't you."

"How would you know?" Alia countered. "People change, Shang. Maybe I'm not the same Alia from Auradon Prep, but maybe that's because…I grew up, or something. I've seen what the world is like outside of that prep school. Maybe I've just matured."

"This isn't you being mature." Shang disagreed, shaking his head slightly as he watched her. "It's like you're a completely different person. You're being bitter and angry and purposefully saying things you know will hurt me. That's not the Alia I asked to be my date to cotillion."

Alia narrowed her eyes. "Fine. Think whatever you want. I didn't want to come to this meet today, Jay dragged me out. So, just go back to celebrating with your precious team and forget you ever talked to me."

Shang watched, completely bewildered, as she turned and walked away, making her way toward the front doors.

The crowd had mostly dispersed, so it was fairly easy for Alia to make her way outside and to Jay's car. When she got there, she turned and leaned back against the front passenger door, her anger still simmering below the surface. She pulled out her phone, contemplating waiting for Jay or getting her own ride back to Triton's Bay.

Seeing the prices on the Carriage app, and knowing she only had about fifteen dollars on her, Alia relented to just standing by the car and waiting for Jay. Part of her wanted to call him and ask him to take her back to her dorm, but she also knew he had been looking forward to seeing Lonnie and his friends. So she decided to just wait.

Eventually, Jay came looking for her. He wasn't quite ready to leave, but he could also tell that she was upset about something. So, he agreed to drive her back to school. He tried to get her to open up to him the whole drive, but he just ended up annoying her and making her shut down even more.

The drive couldn't end soon enough for Alia. Jay pulled into the parking lot of Triton's Bay College and Alia practically jumped from the car.

"Alia, wait, hold up. We need to talk." Jay called.

"No. I need to work on the homework you pulled me away from." Alia argued, not even looking back as she strode toward campus.

"You telling me you didn't have any fun at all?" Jay called, hurrying after her. "None at all?"

"Oh, yes. I had _loads _of fun, Jason." Alia called sarcastically. "So much fun while my thoughts just kept circling back to the Algebra homework I haven't even started on, or the Chemistry homework you dragged me away from this morning."

"Alia-" Jay finally caught up to her and grabbed her arm, spinning her around to face him. "I know it's about more than that. Talk to me." he begged.

Alia gritted her teeth, staring down at her feet. She knew Jay would never drop it unless she did something to assure him she was fine.

"I'm just…I guess I'm just worried about Jafar." she blurted out quietly. "You know, and the staff. I mean,…if he does manage to steal the staff…" she trailed off, not needing to finish her thoughts. It wasn't completely true, but it wasn't a lie either.

Jay sighed and pulled his sister into a hug. A small part of her wanted to just sink into the familiar hug, but she was simply too annoyed and uncomfortable to let herself do it. And her head was starting to hurt again. She really needed to drink more water or something. She was probably just dehydrated.

"He won't get the staff." Jay murmured into her ear, rubbing his hand over her back. "Mal won't let that happen. And even if it does, he won't get to you. I won't let anything happen to you."

"In case you forgot," she mumbled into his shoulder where he'd shoved her face, "I handled Jafar perfectly fine on my own last time."

When she'd gone to the Isle with Jay and the others when Ben was captured by Uma, Jafar had held a knife to her throat to try and bargain his way off the Isle. His poor attempt ended with Alia's elbow in his ribs before she twisted his arm around his back.

"That was on the Isle." Jay pointed out, "Now that he's free, if he gets the scepter he'll get all his powers back. Simple self-defense won't be enough to stop him."

"Yeah, yeah." Alia mumbled. "I have to go." She lightly pushed at him, trying to get him to let her go.

Jay sighed, releasing her and looking down at her. She could still see the worry in his eyes as he stared at her.

"Bye." she simply said, turning around to head toward the dorms.

"I'll text you soon." Jay called after her.

Alia waved her hand to show she'd heard.

"If I don't hear from you every three days I'm telling Mom!" Jay added.

Alia stopped and glared over her shoulder at him. They both knew that was a low blow; Jasmine would worry incessantly and might even fly all the way out from Agrabah to check on her daughter. But, low blow that it was, Jay would definitely do it if he felt he had to.

"Fine." Alia relented, turning and stomping away.

Jay watched her until she reached the building before getting back in his car and making the long drive to Sherwood Forest.

Neither twin noticed the person watching from the shadows of the campus building.

**OoOoO**

**Sorry this chapter's a day late, I went to visit my friend and her new baby!**

**On the bright side, that just means you have less time to wait for the next chapter!**

**Review and let me know what you all thought of this chapter! What do you think is up with Alia? What did you find interesting about this chapter?**


	6. Chapter 6

Jay's back popped as he stretched his arms over his head before getting back to typing his essay for Medieval History. He was interrupted by a sound going off on his laptop telling him someone was video calling him. Checking the time, he grinned and eagerly answered. His beautiful girlfriend's face popped up on the screen and she grinned at the sight of him.

"Hey, Lon. How was practice?" Jay asked, perfectly content to ignore his homework for the time being.

"Pretty good. The guys have been giving me some pointers, and Yao said I've been improving." she announced proudly.

"I didn't think that was possible." Jay joked.

Lonnie stuck her tongue out at him. "So, what about you? How was practice?"

"Great. We're definitely ready for our meet this Saturday." Jay answered with confidence. His phone buzzed on his bedside table, so he quickly stretched over to check the text message he just received.

_ 'I'm fine. Even ate today. Need me to send you pictures?' _read a text from Alia. He'd texted her about three hours ago and she finally saw fit to respond. His mind easily read the message in her sarcastic voice. She was probably still mad at him from this weekend.

Jay sighed. He didn't know what was wrong with his sister lately, and he didn't like it. It was honestly scaring him. Sure, the sarcasm was normal, but the anger and bitterness he saw on Saturday was definitely not. He turned back to the computer screen, trying to focus on his girlfriend.

"Who was that?" Lonnie asked curiously, taking a bite of a sandwich.

"Alia." Jay answered with a sigh.

Lonnie's face changed and she paused in chewing before she swallowed.

"What?" he asked curiously. He almost didn't recognize the look on her face. She was normally so positive. Even in a serious situation she seemed to smile or radiate happiness. But she suddenly looked…annoyed.

"It's nothing." Lonnie answered quickly.

"Lonnie." Jay warned.

Lonnie sighed. "I probably shouldn't say anything. We all agreed not to get involved in each other's relationships."

Jay thought over her words. "Did something happen between her and Shang?"

Lonnie watched him closely through the screen. "You didn't see them? At the meet on Saturday?" she added when he still stared curiously.

Jay thought it over. "I mean, I saw them talking after you guys won, but I decided to give them space to catch up. Plus, I was kinda focused on catching up with you."

Lonnie sighed. "Her and Shang…got in a fight."

"_What_?!" Jay demanded. "They never fight! Why did they fight?"

Lonnie rolled her eyes slightly at him. "First of all, they do fight sometimes, just little fights and arguments like every other normal couple. But Saturday…" she trailed off, unsure if she should say anything.

"What?" Jay urged impatiently. "What happened? What did Shang say?"

Lonnie looked slightly annoyed again. "It wasn't what Shang said. It was what _Alia _said."

Jay was floored. But then…maybe he shouldn't be. With how Alia had been acting on Saturday, was it so surprising she started a fight with Shang?

"What happened?" Jay finally asked.

"Should I really tell you?" Lonnie asked dubiously. "We all agreed not to get involved in each others relationships. And I know how overprotective you can get of your sister."

"Lon, please. I'm really worried about Alia. She hasn't been acting like herself for weeks. Please?"

Lonnie sighed. "I only caught parts of the argument. I think Shang was kinda getting after her about how everyone's been calling and texting her and she hasn't been responding. And she just kinda snapped back that she's been busy…and that college is a lot of work, but Shang wouldn't know that. Basically giving him a hard time for not going to college. And I think it just escalated from there."

Jay blinked, completely bewildered. "But Alia's never said anything about that before. She thought it was cool that you and Shang went pro. She never had a problem with you guys not going to college."

Lonnie shrugged. "I don't know what her problem is. I haven't spoken to her in weeks. And at the moment I don't really want to talk to her. I know she's your sister, and you'd probably side with her, but I just think her comments were out of line."

Jay sighed, raking a hand through his long hair. He couldn't dispute her claims. If what she'd heard was accurate, it did sound like Alia was taking unnecessary shots at Shang. "How's Shang doing?" he asked instead of focusing on his sister.

Lonnie grimaced slightly. "He's…okay. He got most of his frustration and anger out over the weekend. Now he's mostly just…I don't know. He's distracted. He's been off in practice. I think he's trying to figure out how to approach Alia. I don't even know if they're still together, to be honest. I didn't hear the end of the argument, just part of it, and then a few minutes later Alia was walking away."

"You think they broke up?" Jay asked, shocked. He didn't see that coming at all. Alia and Shang fighting was shocking enough, but the possibility of them breaking up was almost beyond comprehension. The big brother in him wanted to go beat Shang up, but realistically it sounded like Alia started it.

Lonnie grimaced again. "I don't think so." she answered uncertainly. "I think Shang would be less mad and more upset if they did. I think it was just a big fight. But I'm honestly not sure anymore."

Jay sighed and glanced down at his phone. "Maybe I should call her…"

"Oh, yeah, that would go over _real _well." Lonnie agreed sarcastically. "She hates your overprotective nagging on a good day. You really think she'll take it well _now_?"

"Probably not." Jay agreed grumpily. Just then his phone buzzed again. Hoping it was his sister, he grabbed his phone and checked the message he just got.

_ 'Have you seen this?' _read a text from Carlos. Underneath it was a link. Curious, Jay tap the link with his thumb and it pulled up a news story. When he read the headline, his stomach dropped.

A few hours away, in a small town by the sea, Alia was sitting in the college library. She was at one of the tables, dressed in running shorts and a big hoodie while she worked on homework on her laptop. The bags under her eyes were more prominent than ever; she'd hardly gotten any sleep in the few days since Jay dragged her to the meet on Saturday. She threw herself into practice and homework to try and get her mind off her fight with Shang. Her anger and annoyance had faded by Saturday night, only to be replaced by pain and fear. She just didn't understand what happened. She'd never had a problem with Shang's choice to skip college, so where did all that anger and resentment come from? Why had she lashed out at him like that? What was happening with her? Why was she suddenly always angry and annoyed? And she always felt sick. She was constantly getting headaches, some days she could barely force down one meals worth of food because of nausea, and she always felt tired and achy.

But that wasn't completely the reason behind her losing more sleep than before. Saturday night she'd started having weird dreams and nightmares. She could only really remember snippets of them, like Shang, her friends, and family telling her they all hated her and wanted nothing to do with her. And she'd wake up with those words echoing in her head and sharp pains in her heart at the thought of them all hating her. It was starting to bring up more fears in the real world. And she found she really didn't want to talk to her friends and family even more than before. As if pushing them away now would make it less painful when they all eventually gave up on her.

Alia was pulled from distractedly working on her homework by someone sitting in the chair next to her at the table. She glanced up to see Dominic taking a seat next to her, pulling a notebook and text book from his backpack to start working on homework. He glanced at her and offered a small smile. It took a moment, but she forced a small one in return.

They worked quietly for a while before Dominic started speaking quietly.

"Looking forward to our next match tomorrow?" he asked conversationally.

Alia glanced warily at him. "Um, yeah, I guess so."

He nodded, turning a page in his text book. "It'll be a close match. They're a good team."

Alia nodded slowly, unsure how to respond. He seemed to just be making casual conversation, but it was hard to tell nowadays.

"Maybe we could be partners at practice today?" Dominic asked curiously. "If you don't mind. I was kinda hoping you could show me that move you used in our match last week."

Alia smiled slightly. "Um, yeah, sure. If you don't mind everyone badmouthing you for partnering with me." she added cynically.

"Don't let them get to you." Dominic told her. "Most of them are just jealous they're being shown up by a girl."

They were silent for a few more minutes before Dominic spoke again. "You won't be distracted or anything during our meet, will you? I'm assuming you're pretty worried."

Alia glanced at him in confusion. "Worried about what?"

Dominic looked at her with slightly wide eyes. "You don't know?"

"Considering I have no idea what you're talking about, probably not." Alia pointed out.

"Uh…look it up on the news website." Dominic suggested worriedly.

Alia sighed, opening a new window on her laptop screen. She pulled up the Auradon News Network website and saw the top headlines.

Her stomach dropped when her eyes found the headline.

_ 'Jafar's Golden Cobra Staff Stolen from Museum of Cultural History'_

**OoOoO**

**Dun dun DUUUUUN!**

**Jafar's staff has been stolen!**

**Sorry this chapter is so short and uneventful, but at least it had some important info/events. Hopefully the next chapter will make up for it.**

**That being said, another character will be making an introduction in the next chapter. It's a canon Disney character, not an OC, who has never been in one of my stories. Anyone want to make any guesses on who it might be?**

**Leave a review and let me know what you think!**


	7. Chapter 7

A change of scenery did not help.

Alia practically glowered around the small coffee shop as if the people and building itself were to blame for her sour mood. She normally loved Starfish Café. She'd ordered their drinks hundreds of times, and even now her Magic Pumpkin Latte(the café's spinoff of the iconic Pumpkin Spice Latte) was the only reason she was still sitting in the small café. She normally got her drinks to go, but today she'd thought a change of scenery would improve her mood while she worked on her homework.

She was sorely mistaken.

She'd much rather be in her quiet dorm where she could work on her homework in peace. But the "peace" just left her thoughts plenty of time and space to run wild. Basically, it was a no win situation.

It was a cool October day. It was only about a week after the disastrous meet where Alia argued with Shang. She hadn't spoken to him since, though he had texted her a couple days ago asking to talk. She'd ignored it. And it had only been a few days since the news broke headlines that Jafar's staff had been stolen from the Museum.

The article Alia had read said that whoever stole the staff broke in late at night, stole only the staff, and left with little to no trace. There had been a huge investigation, and even Ben and Mal were looking into it. And they'd increased security even more than they had before.

The top suspect was obviously Jafar, but no one had seen even a glimpse of him since Mal brought down the barrier. Many in Auradon were in a panic wondering what would happen.

Alia sighed, annoyed she was getting distracted again. She threw back the rest of her drink before focusing back on her laptop. Chemistry, as usual, was really kicking her butt. And it didn't help that the teacher was next to useless. And a jerk. He didn't hardly do any actual teaching. And if they asked him questions he got annoyed with them and answered the questions as if all his students were morons.

Alia's tired eyes were staring at her computer screen, trying and failing to comprehend the complicated chemical equations in front of her. Movement just past her laptop screen distracted her. She glanced up to see a man sitting across from her, watching her. He pushed a coffee cup across the table towards her, not taking his eyes off hers. She stared back, her tired brain catching on to the fact that there was a stranger sitting across from her, seemingly offering her a cup of coffee.

He was an older man, older than her parents but younger than her grandfather. He had tan skin, brown eyes, gray hair with flecks of black, and a closely-shaved gray mustache and beard. She almost felt like she'd seen him before.

"I believe you like this drink." he spoke in a deep voice before taking a sip of his own drink.

Alia eyed him warily before slowly grabbing the cup. She sniffed it and, sure enough, it was the same pumpkin latte drink she'd ordered earlier. But she wasn't about to just take a sip of a drink offered to her by some random stranger. She set it down by her laptop and looked her visitor over. He was wearing a rumpled navy jacket with a hood over what looked like a black shirt.

"Can I help you?" she finally asked, meeting his eyes.

He seemed to be examining her, as well, focusing mostly on her face and eyes. At her question, he chuckled slightly.

"You sound just like your father." he mused.

Alia looked at her computer, feigning disinterest. "So, you know my father. That's nothing special. Ninety percent of Auradon knows who my father is. Trying to make a statement?"

"I suppose I am, in a way." he agreed, taking another sip of his drink. "Maybe this will clear things up." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a rumpled photo. He slid it across the table until it was in front of Alia. She looked down at it.

It was a photo of her parents' wedding. Her mom and dad stood front and center, her mother in her beautiful wedding dress, and her father in his fancy Sultan robes. Jasmine's father stood next to her, Rajah sitting next to him. Genie, Magic Carpet, and Abu were all on Aladdin's other side.

"So, you got ahold of my parents' wedding photo. Is that supposed to prove something?" Alia asked tiredly, looking back at the man.

He grinned slightly, leaning forward and tapping a finger to the edge of the photo.

Alia picked up the photo and held it closer to her face, looking at the spot on the left side of the photo, right by the edge. The photo was worn and slightly wrinkled, so it was hard to make out details. But in the background, partially hidden by the shadow of a palace pillar, was a man. He was dressed in a blue cloak, and his face was barely visible.

Alia lowered the photo and looked at the man in a new light. "You were at my parents wedding?" she asked quietly, glancing once more at the photo. "Well, you snuck into my parents wedding, at least."

"Didn't have much of a choice." the man shrugged, leaning back against his chair. "I was a wanted man at the time. But I couldn't very well miss my only son's wedding, now, could I?"

Alia's eyes flew to his face, no longer tired. Now she could easily see why he looked so familiar. He looked like an older version of her father, Aladdin. He looked like Jay.

"You're Cassim? My dad's father?" Alia asked, surprised.

"Ah, so my son _has _mentioned me." Cassim noted, seeming a tiny bit surprised.

"Hardly." Alia admitted. "He never liked to talk about you much. Just like how he never liked to talk about Jay much. My mother said it was because it was painful. Because you were locked up on the Isle."

Cassim, famously known as the King of Thieves, had been sent to the Isle with all the other villains when Beast became the King of Auradon. Aladdin had tried to vouch for his father, but there was little he could do. Considering all the crimes Cassim committed as the leader of the Forty Thieves, being sent to the Isle of the Lost was seemingly the only option at the time.

"That was out of his control." Cassim said quietly. "And to an extent, I did deserve it. I did the crime, I did the time, so to speak."

Alia nodded slowly, studying him. "So,…what are you doing here?" she asked curiously, for the first time in weeks she felt a bit like her old self. Not bitter, annoyed, or angry, simply curious about the man in front of her. Her family. The grandfather she'd never met.

"I left the Isle like most of the other villains." he answered cryptically.

Alia rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant. What are you doing _here_, sitting in front of me in a coffee shop?"

"Maybe I just wanted to meet my granddaughter for the first time." Cassim answered vaguely. "I've already gotten to watch Jay grow up while on the Isle, though I didn't know he was my grandson at the time, but I've only ever seen photos and video footage of you on the news. Maybe I just want to get to know you."

Alia eyed him dubiously. "Some might consider this stalker behavior. How'd you know to find me here? And how'd you know about what coffee drink I like?" she added, lifting the coffee cup slightly before putting it back on the table. She'd yet to drink it, though the mouthwatering smell was teasing her nostrils.

"A thief has his ways." Cassim answered vaguely. "When you're as good at getting in and out unseen as I am, you can easily have a whole wealth of knowledge at your fingertips." he added knowingly, as if he knew something she didn't. Which was probably the case.

Alia's gaze turned suspicious as she watched him. Not like he was evil suspicious, but because he resembled Jay, Aladdin, and even herself when they were up to something sneaky. "What are you talking about?" she asked warily. "And before you answer with more cryptic statements, just know I'm too tired to play guessing games with you."

Cassim smirked, chuckling quietly. "Fair enough." he agreed. He leaned in closer, propping his elbows up on the table with his drink cupped in both hands. When he spoke again his voice was quiet so no one else in the coffee shop had a chance to hear him. "Can you keep a secret?"

Alia pushed her laptop to the side, mirroring his position slightly. "Easily. The question is whether or not I want to."

Cassim smirked slightly. "Did you hear about the break in at the Museum?"

"Obviously. Everyone has." Alia answered.

"Not the last one. The one before that." Cassim added. "The one where nothing was actually stolen."

Alia became slightly more curious. "Yeah, I heard about that one. Jay heard from Mal and told me."

"Ah, yes. Lady Mal, future Queen of Auradon." Cassim nodded. "Well, I'm sure the obvious assumption is that it was Jafar, considering it's his scepter that was stolen."

"Are you saying it wasn't?" Alia questioned curiously.

"Yes and no." Cassim answered. "According to the whispers I've been hearing, he attempted to steal back his scepter that first time a couple weeks ago, and failed. I knew what would happen if he succeeded in stealing it, who he'd likely go after. So, I stole it first."

Alia stared at him for several moments, her eyes wide at the sudden and shocking admission. Or maybe her tired mind was struggling to take in the news. "You…what?"

"I stole the scepter before Jafar could." Cassim repeated slowly, quietly. "Auradon doesn't exactly have a great reputation when it comes to keeping dangerous magical artifacts out of the hands of villains." he added pointedly. "I couldn't risk them failing again and letting Jafar get hold of his scepter."

"So, you stole it instead?" Alia hissed in disbelief, though she kept in mind they were in a public place, so she kept her voice down. "Are you crazy? Even if you had the best intentions, people aren't going to see it like that. They'll just see you, the King of Thieves, stealing Jafar's staff."

Cassim watched her, amused and mildly curious. "You don't think people would believe my intentions? Aladdin, Mal, _you_?"

Alia sighed agitatedly, eyeing him for a moment. "I guess…I don't know." she admitted. "From the bit Mom has told me about you, you do care about your son. So, I suppose it's possible this is your way of protecting him from Jafar. Because it's likely Jafar will go after our family if he gets the chance. Have these supposed 'whispers' you've been hearing told you where he might be hiding?" she asked curiously.

"Sort of." Cassim answered with a shrug. "Someone mentioned seeing him near Auradon City the day the first attempt on the Museum happened, hence why it's assumed he was the one who tried to steal the staff. However, a few people have mentioned spotting him in several places in the West side of Auradon…" he trailed off pointedly.

Alia swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat. "Like Triton's Bay…and Sherwood Forest. You think he might be watching me or Jay?" she asked worriedly.

Cassim tilted his head slightly, eyeing her for a moment. "I think it's possible." he agreed. "And it makes sense. Obvious chances are that he wants revenge on Aladdin and his family, and maybe even Jay more so since he raised him."

Alia took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. Ignoring her earlier reservations, she took a big chug of her latte he'd bought her. "Well, without his scepter he can't do anything to me." she decided firmly. "When they sent him to the Isle, they stripped him of his genie powers. I've handled him just fine before, I can do it again if I have to." She lifted her head and met Cassim's eyes. "In the mean time, you should go to Agrabah. Talk to my dad, explain what you did and why. If anyone can help you protect the scepter, and even believe what you say, it's him."

Cassim took a sip of his drink, though his eyes didn't stray from hers. "I might." he agreed after several moments of contemplative silence. "Or I might stick around here for a bit." he added.

"What? Why?" Alia demanded quietly. "You don't even have anywhere to really hide the scepter here." A thought occurred to her and panic shot through her. "Where is it now?" she demanded quietly.

"Somewhere safe." Cassim assured her. "Relax. I have it all planned out."

Alia scoffed, shutting her laptop and starting to pack up her things. Her annoyance had returned full force at his apparent arrogance. "Whatever. Just take it to my father. If that scepter falls into the wrong hands, we're all doomed." she informed him, grabbing her bag and standing to leave, grabbing the coffee as she went. "Thanks for the coffee." she added over her shoulder.

Cassim sat back in his chair, watching her leave as he took a contemplative sip of his coffee. That certainly hadn't gone as he expected it to go. She wasn't really anything like he expected her to be. Anything like he'd seen of her on the news. But he had a feeling there was more going on in her life than was normal, if her pale skin and tired eyes were anything to go by.

Something wasn't right with her. And with her friends and family at least a couple hours away, there was no one around to look out for her, to protect her. She was his granddaughter, and for the first time he had a chance to be in her life. And he was worried about her, not just because of Jafar, but because something clearly wasn't right with her.

He decided then and there that he would stick around for a while, just to keep an eye on his granddaughter.

**OoOoO**

**Congrats to the people who guessed Cassim would make an appearance!**

**For those who don't know, Cassim is a character in the third Aladdin movie, **_**Aladdin and the King of Thieves**_**. Cassim is Aladdin's dad, and the leader of the 40 thieves. I won't stick too closely to the canon in that movie, since most of **_**Descendants **_**seems to disregard the sequels. We'll just assume him and Aladdin reconnected sometime between the first movie and his and Jasmine's wedding.**

**And thank you to 'white tiger freak', who gave me the idea to include Cassim if I ever decided to do a Stolen Half 3.**

**Random fun fact: the coffee shop Alia was in, Starfish Café, I based off Starbucks. Because Starbucks is everywhere.**

**Review and let me know what you all thought of this chapter and the interesting information we learned.**


	8. Chapter 8

Alia pulled her last glove on, making sure it was on comfortably. The chatter and laughter around her was mere background noise as the team got ready for their match in the locker-room. Alia spent most of the time getting ready in a separate room so as to not make anything awkward with changing in front of everyone.

The bench creaked next to her as someone sat next to her, but she hardly noticed. A few moments later, she glanced over and realized Dominic was watching her expectantly. It took her a second to figure he must have said something.

"Huh?" she asked oh-so eloquently.

Dominic's lip twitched slightly. "I was asking if you were nervous."

Alia shrugged. "Not any more than normal."

Dominic nodded slightly, pulling his own gloves on. "I guess I'd just be more nervous going up against a relative."

Alia blinked slowly, turning to stare at him. "What?"

Dominic also turned to look at her. "You _do _know who we're playing today,…right?" he checked slowly.

Honestly, she had no clue. She rarely paid attention to stuff like that anymore. She just practiced and then fought whoever she was told to in matches. Her blank expression must have clued Dominic in.

"Um, we're up against Sherwood Forest today." he answered hesitantly.

Alia took in a deep breath, letting her eyes trail around the locker-room at the rest of her teammates. Part of her almost expected them all to be watching her expectantly, or even smirking, but they were mostly just laughing and messing around together.

She was facing her brother's team.

A few minutes later, Coach Patrick showed up and led them out into the arena. They traveled around the edge of their home mat until they reached their bench. Most of the team egged on the cheering crowd, throwing their fists up and grinning. Alia kept her blank face, merely following the line until she could sit on the end of the bench, slightly apart from the rest of the team. She was pulled from her silent musings when the other team left the other locker-room and sat on the bench across from them.

Her eyes traveled along the line of boys in green uniforms until they met with familiar brown eyes that were already watching her. Jay watched her warily for a moment before offering a small smile and slight wave of his hand. Alia swallowed and waved back before quickly looking up at Patrick and Harvey. They had their heads bent over a clipboard, which held the list of players on the Sherwood team. They were probably trying to strategize who would be best to go against which players.

Patrick gave a short motivational speech that Alia didn't catch a word of, and then the match began with the home team, Triton's Bay, sending out their first player, which was William. It was a bit of a disadvantage to whichever team picks their player first, because it gave the other team the opportunity to pick a player that had a better chance of beating them.

Alia tried to force her tired mind to focus, but she could only manage to focus on the fights, and even those were somewhat blurry. William ended up losing his match, so Triton's Bay had to choose their next player first again. Alia didn't catch the name of his opponent, but she watched Hunter face him. Hunter won, so it was Sherwood Forest's turn to pick first.

This continued for a couple more matches and it was clear the two teams were at least somewhat evenly matched. It wasn't long before Alia saw Jay step up onto the mat, twirling his sword while he waited patiently for Patrick to pick his opponent.

Patrick and Harvey had their heads bent together, their eyes darting from Jay on the mat and their remaining players as they whispered among themselves.

"Oh, _please _let me fight him." Amir begged, his legs bouncing excitedly as he glanced from his coach to Jay. He probably wanted to get back at Jay for Jasmine's tiger biting his father in the backside. Amir was such a petty little prince. "I want to shove his face into the mat." he added gleefully.

Patrick rolled his eyes before looking down the line of his team. Alia noticed his eyes linger briefly on her. He whispered something to Harvey, and the Captain also glanced over at Alia. They whispered a bit more before they both nodded.

"Alia, you're up." Patrick announced, nodding toward the mat. Alia paused hesitantly.

_ "What?!" _Elliot, Amir, and a couple others exclaimed in disbelief.

"You're gonna just hand the match over to them?" Elliot added. "You honestly think she's got a shot at beating him?"

"You don't know that." Patrick reminded him as Alia grabbed her sword and approached the mat.

Jay's eyes lit up slightly as his sister made her way toward him. But a second later, his gaze turned worried again as he watched her. Alia ignored him and pulled her mask on over her face.

"And it appears Triton's Bay has decided to send out the only girl on their team; Alia. Interesting move on Coach Patrick's part, sending Alia out to face her own brother, Jay." the announcer called over the cheers.

Jay pulled his mask down over his face, though he remained worried. Alia texted him every three days like they agreed, but she rarely told him anything interesting or of importance. Other than that, he'd heard that no one else was in contact with her. From what Lonnie said, Shang had reached out dozens of times but Alia wouldn't respond.

Meanwhile, Alia was nauseous at the thought of this match. She wasn't sure what Patrick and Harvey were trying to pull with this; she didn't think they were out to see her fail like many others on the team. Maybe they were just giving her the chance to prove herself to the others? But now she felt, more than ever before, that she had to prove herself, and to do that she had to beat Jay in this match. If she lost this match, it would just prove to her whole team what they'd thought all along about her. That a girl didn't belong on the Swords and Shields team.

Taking a deep breath behind her mask, Alia bowed to her brother as he did the same. She tried to forget who was facing her behind the other mask. Tried to put in her mind that this was just another match against some random stranger.

They were still for a couple seconds before Jay lunged. Alia parried, jumping lightly out of his way and dodging to one side. Their swords were silver blurs as the thin blades clanged in the nearly-silent auditorium.

Alia leapt onto one of the blocks and cart wheeled off it. Jay came at her from the side, and she spun to block his sword with hers. Jay twisted their locked swords, slamming hers down onto the block next to them. Alia kicked her leg out, and Jay ducked backward to avoid her foot. Alia was able to slip her sword out from under his and she twisted around, putting some space between them.

In an uncharacteristic move, Alia lunged at Jay, her blade slicing through the air. Jay blocked her attacks instinctively, but he wasn't sure what she was doing. This wasn't Alia's style. She usually waited for her opponent to make the first attack, letting them eventually wear themselves out. But she was coming at him full-throttle, and her attacks were sloppy. He could take her down in five seconds easily at this point. If she were anyone else. But how she was fighting told him easily that something was wrong, if her demeanor earlier hadn't already.

"Alia." Jay tried, continuing to simply block her attacks. He knew his teammates were probably wondering why he wasn't just finishing the match. But he needed to figure out what was wrong with his sister. "Alia, talk to me. What's wrong?"

Alia blocked his voice out as best she could. But other voices were echoing in her ears. Voices whispering and laughing, calling her names and talking about how horrible she was doing.

Desperate to end the match, to win it, Alia jabbed her sword out at Jay's gut. He dodge to the side, the blade brushing the shirt around his abdomen. Instinctively, Jay's hand shot out and grabbed Alia's wrist, yanking her forward. Alia stumbled forward, overbalancing and landing hard on her hands and knees. A second later, a blade touched her neck.

Alia stiffened, a lump forming in her throat. The crowd erupted in cheers, but above that she could hear several scornful comments from her teammates.

A gloved hand appeared in front of Alia's masked face. She stared at it for a moment, her eyes traveling up to where Jay was looking down at her, having already removed his mask. He was staring grimly down at her, not looking arrogant or thrilled at his victory.

"'Lia." he whispered, barely heard by her over the cheering.

Swallowing thickly, Alia ignored his hand and stood up. She was tempted to shove his hand out of her face, but she refrained. She turned away and walked off the mat. Instead of rejoining her team, she walked past the bench and made for the door, whipping off her mask and tossing it and her sword onto the floor by the bench.

She heard one or two voices call her name, but she stormed through the crowd. She shoved the door open and walked out into the cool evening air. She was angry, humiliated, and disappointed. Not only had she embarrassed herself in front of her team and the whole crowd, now her team was losing two to three because of her.

She crossed the campus lawn at a brisk pace, wanting to put as much distance between herself and the auditorium as she could. The chilly air cooled off her heated cheeks, but it did nothing to cool her temper.

She rounded the corner of a building, only to stumble to a halt at the sight of someone leaning against the wall only a few feet in front of her.

"Do you always storm off after not getting your way?" a familiar voice asked rhetorically.

"What are you doing here?" Alia demanded, staring at Cassim as he leaned casually against the brick wall, fiddling aimlessly with something in his hands.

He looked up at her then. "I came to watch my grandkids compete. Wasn't expecting it to be so…dramatic."

Alia blushed.

"So, do you always storm off after not getting your way?" he repeated his earlier question.

And just like that, Alia's embarrassment turned into anger and indignation. "You know _nothing _about me." she hissed at him. "You have no idea why-"

"You're right. I really don't know you." Cassim agreed. "I only know what I just saw. And I saw Jay beat you in a fair fight, and you storm out of the building in a huff."

"You have no idea what the past couple months have been like for me." Alia growled, stepping closer to him. "I've been working my butt off in all my classes, and I'm still barely scraping by. And my whole Swords team pretty much hates me, so me losing to my _brother _just now didn't do me any favors. I just proved them all right!"

Cassim listened silently. Then he slowly nodded his head. "I suppose so. In the very least, you proved to the whole crowd that you can't handle defeat."

Alia opened her mouth to snap at him again when a voice called her name. Her eyes closed and her expression got tight. She half turned back toward the way she'd come just as someone hurried around the corner.

Jay slowed to a stop when he came upon his sister talking to a stranger. He hardly spared the man a glance before focusing on his sister.

"Alia, what's going on?" he asked. "You've been acting…weird for weeks. Months, even. And what was _that _back there?" he added, throwing his arm back to gesture vaguely toward the auditorium. "I know how you fight, and that wasn't you. It was sloppy, and-"

"If you're _quite _done insulting my fighting," Alia cut him off, "I am perfectly fine. I don't need my big brother defending me. I don't need to tell you every little thing that goes on in my life." A sharp pain flared in Alia's head, making her wince slightly. She just wanted to go to bed and pretend this whole mess was a bad dream. "Why don't you two talk and bond over how you think there's something wrong with me?" she snapped at her brother and grandfather before turning and hurrying away.

The two men watched her walk away before glancing at each other. Jay looked the man over, curious and confused. Did his sister know this guy? And was she implying he'd said something to her along the lines of what Jay had said earlier.

"I take it she's not normally like that?" the man guessed.

Jay glanced after his sister before facing the stranger. "No. She's nothing like that, normally."

Cassim glanced after Alia. "And you have no clue why she's acting different?"

"It seems to line up to when she started college, but…" Jay trailed off, looking at the man. "Who are you?" he demanded.

Cassim smirked at Jay, who suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu. Or something. The man looked very familiar.

"I'm sure we've run into each other a few times." His smirk widened. "I might even recall seeing you pick a wallet off one of the Gaston twins outside the Slop Shop."

Jay's eyes widened as it hit him. "You're the King of Thieves." he whispered in awe. As a young thief, Jay had practically idolized the man before him. Legends of the leader of the Forty Thieves had been told everywhere on the Isle, including in classes. Even though he lived among them, he'd kept mostly to himself.

Cassim grinned. "You could call me that, I suppose." he admitted, holding out his hand to shake. "I'm Cassim. Father of Aladdin." he added pointedly as Jay gripped his hand.

Jay froze in the middle of shaking his hand. His whole body froze in shock, he might have even stopped breathing for a second.

"_What?" _he asked as Cassim dropped his hand. The man was grinning in amusement at Jay's reaction. "You're-you're my grandfather?" Jay demanded.

Cassim nodded. "I am. And I think we have some things to discuss."

"Like?" Jay asked suspiciously.

"How well would you say you know Jafar?"

Jay opened his mouth silently for a moment. "I don't know." he admitted. "I mean, he raised me. So I guess I know him pretty well. Why?"

"I suppose you think Jafar stole his scepter from the museum." Cassim guessed.

Jay sighed, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. "I've been trying not to think about it. I don't want to worry Alia, but…"

"Well, you can relax. It wasn't Jafar who stole the scepter." Cassim assured him. "He tried and failed the first time. I stole it the second time."

Jay's head snapped up in shock. "What? _Why _would you do that?" he demanded.

"Because you and I both know that Jafar wouldn't have stopped at one failed attempt." Cassim answered seriously. "He would have tried again, and again until he succeeded. And we both know who he'd go after. Now, he has no idea where the scepter is, or who has it. That, in the very least, has bought us some time."

"Where is it?" Jay asked, relaxing slightly. The man had a point. Now Jafar was less likely to find it.

Cassim smirked again. "The less people who know, the better."

Jay nodded. "True, I guess." Jay once again glanced toward where his sister had disappeared into the campus dorms.

Cassim followed his gaze. "Try not to worry about her too much." he advised quietly. When Jay opened his mouth to argue, Cassim continued, "I'm not saying you're wrong. I've been watching her for a while now, and I agree that something seems off with her. You know her, probably better than anyone. If you say something's wrong, you're probably right. What I'm saying, is that I plan on sticking around for a while. I'll keep an eye on her. So you don't have to _completely _worry about her. She won't really be alone."

Jay sighed, his shoulders slouching slightly as he nodded in agreement. "Maybe you're right. But I don't think I can just…not worry about her." he admitted.

Cassim nodded in understanding. "I'll try to keep you posted. I just get the feeling that the more you nag her the more likely she is to completely shut you out. And I don't think you want that."

Jay nodded again. "It feels like she's shutting everyone out, though." he admitted. "Me, Shang, Lonnie, Jordan,…I'm half tempted to call Mom like I threatened to. Maybe she'll talk to Mom."

"Or maybe she'll shut down even more, like I said." Cassim warned. Then he shrugged. "But you know her better than me."

Jay nodded thoughtfully. "We have a break coming up next month, and we plan on going home for it. If nothing changes by then I might tell our parents. But I'll try to get her to talk to me until then."

Cassim agreed. "In the meantime, I'll keep an eye on her, too. Without being a creepy old guy hanging out on a college campus, of course. That might cause some suspicion." he joked, making Jay crack a smile.

"A bit." he agreed.

"Well, then, I'll be seeing you around, Jason." With that, Cassim melted away into the shadows, leaving Jay alone as the sound of people leaving the auditorium sounded in the distance. He didn't even know which team won the meet.

Sighing, Jay pulled out his cell phone, staring at it contemplatively for a moment before making a call.

"Hey, Shang, can we talk?"


	9. Chapter 9

_ It was dark._

_ She couldn't see anything. But then, she could hear them._

_ "What was _that_?" It was Jay. Her brother. "I've never seen something so pathetic. Who taught you to fight?"_

_ "I certainly didn't teach her that." Shang's voice punched her in the gut. "I don't know how she's still on the Swords team fighting like that."_

_ "She'll never fit in." Lonnie's voice added. "With them or with us. I don't know why we were ever friends. I can't stand her."_

_ The sharp pain in Alia's chest turned to anger._

_ "Shut _UP_!" she yelled, her voice merged with a louder, hissing-like voice._

_ Flames burst up from the darkness, and suddenly Alia could make out dark, writhing shapes that resembled people. Voices screamed in agony as the flames licked at the shapes. _

_ Then, out of the flames appeared a pair of red, reptilian eyes._

_ A sharp pain shot through Alia's head-_

Alia's eyes flew open, and she shot up in her bed, gasping and clutching at her head in pain. It was hard to breathe for a moment as she nearly curled in on herself, clutching her head with both hands. Slowly, the pain receded to a dull ache that was practically normal at this point.

The nightmares, which had been going on for nearly a month now, seemed to be getting worst. Not only was she remembering more of them when she woke up than she used to, but worse things seemed to be happening in them. It used to just be her friends badmouthing her and saying they hated her, but now she was making bad things happen to them in retaliation. Part of her was horrified by what she was doing to them in her dreams, but a growing part of her was numb to it. And that was one of many reasons she hadn't spoken to any of her friends and family in about a week other than a one word text message to Jay two days ago to keep him from ratting her out to their mom.

The alarm on her phone went off in that moment, and Alia hurried to turn it off before it agitated her headache more than it already was.

That day started out the same as any other day of the week for Alia, but she dreaded the afternoon far more than normal. She worked out for a couple hours starting around six, when her alarm went off. She went to her Wednesday classes, trying to squeeze in some homework time. She didn't even bother eating anything more than a granola bar at lunch time, getting by with a bottle of water.

However, instead of going to Swords practice in the afternoon, she had to go back to her dorm after Composition and catch a cab to a small airport nearby, where the small family jet would be waiting for her.

This is what she'd been dreading all day. They had a four day weekend, Thursday to Sunday, so Alia and her brother were heading home to Agrabah to spend it with their family. She was dreading being around them all, because they would surely notice that she wasn't herself, and she didn't need or want them all nagging her. And she worried Jay would blab about her acting weird.

To make matters worse, when Alia stepped out of the taxi with her duffle bag, she hesitated at the sight of the bigger royal jet. The Sultan family had two jets, a smaller one that was typically used for smaller journeys, or a bigger one for more comfortable, long-term travel. To pick up her and Jay and just fly them home, the smaller jet would have been the obvious choice.

She nodded a brief greeting to the pilot, who was standing at the foot of the stairs leading up to the plane. He bowed in return, letting her go up first. She stepped inside and entered the main lounge-style part of the plane, her hesitancy growing into wariness at the sight before her.

Seated on the couches and lounge chairs surrounding the flat screen TV on the wall was not only Jay, but also Mal, Evie, and Carlos and Dude. They all turned and stared at her almost expectantly as she entered the plane.

Alia took a breath, trying to relax and seem normal, but the way they were looking at her clued her in that they were expecting her to _not _be normal.

She nodded at them in greeting, with a simple, "Hi." Then, she moved past them toward the bedroom at the back of the plane.

"Hey, 'Lia, we're watching one of your favorite shows." Jay called quickly before she could completely leave the room. "Come join us."

Alia's hand landed on the doorknob of the bedroom as she glanced over her shoulder at them. "I have a lot of homework." she answered quietly before entering the bedroom and shutting the door behind her. She moved to one of the bunk beds, trying not to think about the fact that they were probably all talking about her behind her back.

Sure enough, the four original VKs were all staring at the closed door before turning to glance among themselves.

"You weren't kidding." Mal told them, the only one who hadn't seen Alia since the summer. "There's definitely something up with her. And you have no clue what it is?" she added to Jay.

Jay shook his head, looking down at his hands from where he sat on the couch. "She won't talk to me." he mumbled, completely lost. "I don't know what else I can do."

"Well, maybe we can get her to talk this weekend." Evie decided, determined to fix this. Jay and Alia were more than just her friends; they were all family. That was part of the reason Jay invited all of them to come to Agrabah for this holiday. Even though their parents were now free due to Mal releasing them from the Isle, they were still villains. Sure, there were some villain parents that had changed their ways, at least somewhat, due to their affection, or even love, for their kids. Like Hades, Dr. Facilier, Smee,… But, as Cruella would say, a Dalmatian can't change it's spots. Cruella herself and the Evil Queen were still…well, themselves.

Evie tried to reach out to her mother and rebuild their relationship when the barrier came down. But the Evil Queen simply went right back to the same kind of emotional abuse Evie grew up with. It was all, _'you still have that unibrow'_, and _'why would you waste time running a business, that's servants work!'_, and _'this cottage is too small! Why aren't you living in a castle yet?'_ But the worst was when she took a shot at Doug, scolding Evie for settling for a miner's son instead of a prince. Evie decided then and there she didn't need that kind of negativity in her life. She loved the life she'd built, and she loved Doug more than just about anyone in the world. So, she cut her mother out of her life for good.

Carlos pretty much did the same, but it went a little differently. Cruella basically tried to force him back into being her servant, even telling him to drop out of school. She also made rude comments about Jane, and suggested once again that Dude would make nice earmuffs. At the first sight of his mother, Carlos practically reverted back into his old, small, shaky self. But after some encouraging words from Jane, Jay, and even Dude, he straightened his back and told his mother he wanted nothing to do with her. Fairy Godmother practically had to have Cruella dragged off school grounds by security. Fairy Godmother later told Carlos that he was always welcome in her home with her and Jane.

And that was why they were _all _invested in finding out what was wrong with Alia, so they could help her. She wasn't just Jay's sister. Jay was their brother, and Alia had grown to be their sister, too.

The plane ride was a couple hours or so, and Alia didn't leave the bedroom the whole time. Evie peaked in to try and talk to her, but Alia pretended to be asleep. Just before they landed, Alia changed into different clothes, knowing the weather in Agrabah, despite it being autumn, would be much hotter than the weather by the sea. A hoodie and yoga pants would be torture. So, she changed into a loose, purple tank top and gray shorts. Only when the plane landed did she leave the bedroom and join the others in the lounge.

All were in similar, weather-appropriate clothes. Evie and Mal were in simple, loose dresses, Mal's was sleeveless. Carlos and Jay were both wearing long shorts, Carlos in a t-shirt and Jay in a tank top. For once, Dude was just wearing his collar instead of some matching vest or outfit.

Alia was caught between wanting to just walk past them all to get off the plane first, or hanging back and being the last off the plane. Thankfully, the door opened and the others all started heading for the exit, Alia trailing behind them. The heat hit them like a wave as soon as they stepped off the plane.

"Whoo, how can you guys stand the heat?" Evie asked as they descended the stairs. "My hair is going to frizz up like crazy."

"We'll be in the air-conditioning before you know it." Jay laughed.

Sitting on the small, private airstrip was a dark blue limo, which had two people standing next to it.

Jasmine broke all princess and Sultana protocols as she broke into a run. Jay sighed, but wasn't able to smother a grin as he dropped his bag to the ground and held out his arms expectantly. Jasmine threw her arms around her son, squeezing him tight for the first time in months.

"Hi, Mom." Jay laughed, hugging her back just as tightly.

Jasmine laughed, her eyes almost tearing up. "Hi, sweetie. Sorry." she laughed again, pulling away. Alia forced a small, believable smile when her mom's eyes landed on her. She yanked Alia into a hug just as tight, and the teenager tried to enjoy it as she hugged her mom back. It was a typical-mom hug, warm, tight, loving, but it almost felt uncomfortable now, like she was being smothered. Jasmine finally pulled away, smiling warmly at her daughter. Alia tried to return it, at least a fake one. Thankfully, they were distracted by the other person by the limo.

Jasmine's father, the former Sultan, had scampered up to his grandson, yanking Jay down to his height and giving him a crushing hug. Carlos and the girls were trying to muffle their laughter at the awkward angle of the hug.

"Well, come on. Come on. Into the car." Jasmine urged everyone. "Your father had a meeting this afternoon, but he should be at dinner." she added to Jay and Alia, who both nodded as they all piled into the limo.

The ride to the palace was quiet. At least for Alia. And she hoped it stayed that way. Jasmine was grilling Mal and Evie on wedding plans, and Evie was trying to talk about Mal's wedding dress without giving away too many details. Jay and Carlos were talking to Grandpa about sports. Alia just tried to be still and silent, praying no one would talk to her and ask her anything. She knew it was only a matter of time before someone, probably Jay, cornered her into talking. But she wanted to put that off as long as possible.

Thankfully, the ride ended before anyone had time to ask Alia any questions. The limo pulled up in front of the palace's large front doors. The limo door was opened by the driver, and everyone climbed out, most of them carrying their bags.

Alia pulled the strap of her bag higher up on her shoulder as she slowly followed everyone toward her home. Her slow walk quickly brought her to the tail end of the group as they all approached the building. She stared blankly at the ground as she walked, but she was pulled back to reality by a familiar chuffing sound.

Alia paused, looking up in time to see a strange group racing out of the palace. An ornately-decorated purple carpet was flying toward them, followed by a large tiger, and a small, screeching monkey in a vest.

Magic Carpet and Abu almost instantly pounced on Jay, both greeting him as he was the first of the twins for them to come across. Raisa, however, swerved around everyone and bounded toward Alia.

The first genuine smile in weeks spread over Alia's face as she braced herself for the greeting she knew would come.

Only, it didn't.

Raisa nearly skidded to a stop several feet away from Alia, her excitement changing to wariness as she crept a little closer, her nose twitching as she sniffed in Alia's direction.

"Raisa?" Alia questioned, her voice quiet in confusion, and a little hurt. Raisa had been one of her best friends since she got her for her tenth birthday. She'd always been protective and affectionate. They hugged and snuggled all the time. Raisa had never acted with any form of wariness or caution like this with Alia. With everything that had been happening lately, with the way Alia had been feeling and acting, she had at least hoped her relationship with her precious tigress would be one thing that would be the same.

Everyone watched, curious, as Raisa cautiously crept closer to Alia, who hesitantly held her hand out for the tiger to sniff, as if she was a strange dog. Raisa stretched her neck as far as she could to do so, which hurt Alia more than she thought possible. It was as if the tiger didn't want to get any closer to her than she had to. After a few good sniffs, Raisa kind of snorted, jerking her head a bit and backing up a few steps. The fur along her spine rippled, almost standing up.

"What's her deal?" Jay asked, confused as he approached the tiger. Abu was clinging to Jay's neck. Carpet stood nearby, tapping his tassel-like hands together nervously. Jay held his hand out to Raisa, who sniffed it once before stepping closer and rubbing her head against his leg. A sharp pain shot through Alia's chest, along with a feeling of betrayal.

"She says Alia smells funny." Dude announced from his spot at Carlos's foot. Everyone turned to look down at him. "I would've told you that when she first got on the plane, but Carlos says I'm not supposed to tell girls when they stink."

Everyone exchanged glances, as well as glancing at Alia.

"I didn't smell anything weird about her." Evie announced.

"No, you wouldn't. Our noses are better than yours." Dude pointed out.

"So, what's the smell like?" Mal questioned. "It must be something bad to freak out a tiger."

Dude hummed, tilting his head curiously. "Not sure…" he admitted slowly. "I've never really smelled anything like it. And it's not a bad smell like rotten eggs kind of bad. More like…dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Jay repeated in disbelief. "It's _Alia_. She's not dangerous."

"I'm sure it's nothing personal." Jasmine assured everyone, putting her arm around her daughter's shoulder. "She's probably just being a little extra wary. We officially entered her in that conservation program, that helps breed tigers to rebuild the population, and she recently entered the mating season. She may even already be pregnant. And that might make her a little more cautious."

Alia nodded, though she was far from being understanding. She'd been so excited to see Raisa. And she'd been beyond excited at the prospect of her having cubs. She might have even mustered up some excitement now, if only their reunion had gone differently.

They all headed inside, and Jasmine showed the others what rooms they would be sleeping in. Aladdin showed up for dinner, and everyone caught up. Alia tried to stay in the background, but there were a few times that people pulled her into conversation. She tried to act normal so as not to raise suspicion, but she wasn't sure how well she did. When she finished forcing down some dinner, she headed to her room, saying she was just tired after the plane ride.

She sat on her large, round bed near her bedroom door, her laptop sitting open in front of her, though she stared blankly at it. She felt like she should be doing something. She was so used to being too busy for free time lately, so the fact that she didn't really have any homework due the next day, and nothing she had to work on, made her feel almost empty or something. She supposed she could just go to bed?

Glancing up, Alia's eyes landed on Raisa, who had followed her into her bedroom and curled up on the soft rugs across the room. Normally, the tiger tried to push her luck and get in bed with Alia, though the princess rarely put up a fight about it. She loved snuggling with Raisa in her sleep. But the tiger was laying on a rug across the room, her amber eyes fixed intently on Alia, watching her every move. It was unsettling, and a bit irritating.

Sighing harshly, Alia stood up from the bed, the move causing Raisa to lift her head. Alia marched the few steps to her door and yanked it open, turning to look expectantly at the tiger.

"Get out." she ordered. When Raisa didn't move, Alia continued, "Raisa, out. If you're just going to watch me like some…predator or monster, then just leave. I'd rather be alone."

Raisa blinked before slowly pushing herself to her paws. She slowly crept toward the door, her eyes fixed on Alia, who was watching her just as closely. As soon as the big cat crossed the threshold, Alia practically slammed the door shut behind her. If everyone was just going to treat her like a walking time bomb, then she'd rather just be left alone.

**OoOoO**

**I decided to post this a day early since I had the day off work. What does everyone think? Any theories on what's going on with Alia?**

**Also, I'm currently writing out the epilogue for this story, since I like writing ahead so I can update regularly. Don't worry, the end is several chapters from now. But is there anything specific anyone wants to see happen before the end. I'll see if I can find a spot to put it in. Just let me know soon!**

**Please review and let me know!**


	10. Chapter 10

Alia wasn't alone for even ten minutes before someone knocked on her bedroom door. She sat for a few moments, debating just ignoring whoever it was, but when they knocked again, she sighed and got up.

Opening the door, she was only slightly surprised to see Evie and Mal standing there. They both had a random collection of items in their arms, and both smiled at her.

"Hi. We were thinking maybe we could have a sleepover or girls night or something." Evie told her.

"You two are already spending the night. The weekend, actually. Isn't that already a sleepover?" Alia pointed out tiredly.

"Nope. Spending the night and having a sleepover are not the same thing. A sleepover involves staying up late, hanging out, maybe eating junk food, doing makeovers, and stuff like that." Evie listed casually.

"We don't have to stay up very late if you don't want to." Mal pointed out. "But we were thinking at least hanging out for a few hours or so." She lifted the stuff in her arms slightly. "We've got plenty of chocolate." she added temptingly. It was common knowledge chocolate was a weakness of both Alia and Jay's.

Alia sighed quietly in defeat. "Okay, sure." she relented, stepping back and letting the two girls into her room. She closed the door and they all sat on her large bed. They spread out their collection of hair and makeup supplies as well as sweets and junk food.

"So, are you relieved to have some time off school?" Evie asked curiously, picking up a cookie to nibble on.

Alia shrugged, picking up a piece of chocolate. "Yeah, I guess." she answered, taking a small bite of the candy. Her stomach churned and she just let the chocolate melt in her mouth instead of trying to actually eat it.

"How's Swords been going?" Mal asked curiously. "It sucks I haven't got to watch one of your meets yet, but I caught some on TV. You're doing great."

Alia tensed slightly, unsure if she should feel defensive or not. Was Mal making a dig at her? Surely she knew how her match against Jay went. There was no way she was being genuine.

"Alia?" Evie asked worriedly.

Alia cleared her throat. "Um, yeah. Thanks, Mal."

Mal sighed, putting down the brownie she'd been eating. "Okay, I can't be subtle about this right now." she announced, pointedly ignoring Evie's warning look. "Alia, we all know something is wrong. Jay's nearly in a panic trying to figure out how to help you. _What _is going on?" she demanded.

Alia glared down at her lap. "So, all the villain kids are talking about me behind my back. Perfect." she muttered sarcastically.

"Alia," Mal said seriously, waiting until Alia looked up and met her eyes, "you hardly ate anything at dinner. The bags under your eyes tell me you're not getting enough sleep. Dude and Raisa can sense something is up with you, and to be honest, my dragon senses are telling me something is very wrong. We're your friends." she added earnestly. "We care about you, and not just because you're Jay's family. You're ours, too. You can trust us. Is there anything, anything at all, that you want to tell us?"

Alia struggled to swallow the lump in her throat. She took a few deep breaths until she was sure she could talk without sounding choked up.

"I'm not sure what's happening to me." she admitted slowly, her eyes downcast and stinging slightly with unshed tears.

Mal and Evie exchanged a glance. Finally, they seemed to be getting somewhere.

"What do you mean?" Evie asked gently, taking Alia's hand in hers and giving it a slight squeeze.

Alia shook her head slightly, not sure where to even begin. "I…don't feel like myself. Like I'm falling apart. I don't recognize the person I'm turning into."

Mal tilted her head thoughtfully, her sharp gaze scanning over Alia's skinny frame. She glanced over at Evie.

"Do you think it's because of something natural, like stress, or do you think it might be something else?"

Alia glanced over at Mal. "I'm not sure…That would make sense, I guess." she admitted. "What do you think it is?" she asked worriedly.

Mal glanced over at Evie. "E, do you think you could take a sample or something that we could test? If my dragon side, Raisa, and Dude can all smell something, maybe there's something on her skin or something, like a residue, you could test?"

Evie nodded thoughtfully. "It's worth a shot." She looked at Alia. "Would that be okay with you?"

Alia hesitated before slowly nodding her head. "I guess we could try." she admitted. She was getting almost desperate to know what was wrong, now that she had the possibility of answers just within her grasp.

"Great." Evie beamed, perking up. "I'll go get my kit." she announced, hopping off the bed and practically skipping from the room.

They were left in silence for a moment before Mal spoke.

"Can you think of anything specific that's happened or changed?" Mal asked gently. "Anything that you think might be connected to all this?"

Alia shrugged. "I've just…changed. I feel like a different, _horrible _person."

"Okay. Why?"

"I've…been pushing everyone away. Partially because I didn't want anyone to worry. But lately it's also been because everyone has just been getting on my nerves. Like everyone is nagging me and telling me what to do."

"And why is everyone nagging you?"

Alia swallowed a lump in her throat at the thought of her argument with Shang. "I haven't been eating very much." she admitted. "I think I barely have been eating a meal a day lately. And I've been getting bad headaches."

Mal nodded thoughtfully. "Why haven't you been eating? Not enough time?"

Alia shook her head slowly. "In the beginning, I tried to eat while working on homework, but lately I've been feeling nauseous. Like anything I eat will just come back up."

Mal hummed, leaning her elbows on her knees. "How long would you say the nausea thing has been going on?"

Alia thought back. "Um,…probably as long as the school year. So, a couple months?"

Mal also nodded. "That's about when all this kinda started, right? It all kinda lines up with you starting college."

Alia nodded. "Yeah, I suppose so."

"And the sleeping? You haven't been getting much, clearly." Mal pointed out.

Alia sighed, looking down. "Yeah…for one, I've been staying up late doing homework, and getting up early for practice. But I've also been having nightmares for the past month."

"Bad ones?" Mal guessed sympathetically.

Alia nodded, a lump forming in her throat again.

Evie hurried back into the room in that moment, a small briefcase and laptop under her arms as she closed the door behind her and hurried over to the bed. She sat down and shuffled through the case.

Alia watched numbly as Evie pulled out a microscope, a couple books, a notebook, and a pack of q-tips.

"Okay. This will be simple and completely painless. I promise." Evie assured her, taking a couple of the q-tips out of the bag. She grabbed Alia's hand so she could pull her arm out, swiping a q-tip over her arm a few times. She did the same against Alia's cheek. She then wiped one of the q-tips against a small strip of plastic and placed it under her microscope. She brushed her long, blue hair over one shoulder to get it out of her way, putting her eye up to the lens.

Alia waited with baited breath, staring intently at the side of Evie's face, looking for any sign of emotion to give away what she was seeing.

Evie hummed, pulling away and flipping through one of her books. She went back and forth between looking through the book, taking notes in her notebook, and looking through microscope for a few minutes.

"Hey, Mal, look in here." Evie ordered, sitting up straight and turning the microscope slightly on the comforter. Mal scooted forward and did as Evie just was. She looked for a few moments before pulling back and looking at her best friend.

"E, you're the science girl. What am I looking at?" she asked.

Evie turned her book and notebook toward the purple haired girl. "See the photos in these marked pages?" she urged. "Do any of them look familiar?"

Mal flipped through the book, Alia noticed they were all marked with folded corners on the pages. Mal nodded slowly.

"Yeah, they were all in the microscope. What are they?"

"Those are all common ingredients in potions and poisons." Evie explained as she flipped through another book. "I remember some of them from the few potions my mom made me memorize, but I can't think of one that has all those ingredients off the top of my head. That's what this book is for." she added, lifting the book slightly even as she continued flipping through it.

"So,…there's some kind of…potion or something on my skin?" Alia asked, her eyes fixed on her forearms as if she expected to suddenly see something on her skin. But it looked the same as it always had.

"On your skin, maybe even in your nervous system." Evie admitted, still flipping. She paused and looked closer at a page. She set the book down and looked back and forth between the two books for a moment. "I might have something." she finally announced. "This potion here is called the Minuere Potion. It has a few other names, but that seems to be the most common." Evie explained as her eyes skimmed down the page. "Every substance I could see under the microscope is in the ingredient list, as well as a few others."

"How does it work? What does it do to you?" Mal asked, seeing Alia seemed either too shell-shocked or numb to say anything.

"Um, well, it looks like the effects develop over time. So it takes a while of exposure before you really start to notice anything. It effects you physically, mentally, and emotionally. Physically, it can mess with your digestive system, making you nauseous and even sick. And it can cause headaches, some headaches can be so bad they're debilitating. Mentally and emotionally, it can make you depressed and irrationally angry. It can effect your ability to sleep, and it causes nightmares."

Evie glanced up to see Mal staring at Alia, who was staring blankly ahead.

"That lines up with a lot of what you were saying." Mal pointed out gently. "You said you've been getting angry, nauseous, headaches, nightmares…"

Alia nodded, glancing from Mal to Evie. "So, is that the potion, then? Is that what's messing with me?"

"You said it takes time before the signs start to show?" Mal urged Evie.

Evie nodded. "It takes at least a couple weeks of consistent exposure before the effects start to become noticeable. They can take effect almost immediately, but headaches and nausea aren't that out of the ordinary for you to really notice anything off right away."

"And you said it's probably been going on about as long as the school year, a couple months." Mal added to Alia, who nodded.

"But,…how am I getting exposed to this stuff?" Alia finally asked, looking back at Evie.

"Well," Evie looked back down at the book, "it says here it can be given many different ways, but the three most common are ingesting it, inhaling it, or just skin contact."

"So, either she ate it, breathed it in from the air, or it touched her skin, everyday for a couple months." Mal summed up simply.

"So, which is it?" Alia asked, partially to herself. "I'm usually too nauseous to eat more than a meal a day lately, and I don't get that food from the same place. It might be something from the cafeteria, or a granola bar or something. I mostly just get by on coffee and water."

"Where do you get the coffee?" Evie asked eagerly. "Jay mentioned taking you to a coffee shop when he picked you up that day."

"Yeah, but I don't go there that often." Alia pointed out. "I usually just make my coffee in my dorm, or pick one up in the cafeteria. I don't normally take the time to go out and buy a coffee cup from a shop in town."

"Okay, what about the gas?" Mal suggested. "Is there a vent or something in your dorm that someone could use to send a gas into the room for you to breathe in?"

Alia shook her head after thinking for a moment. "No, I don't think so. And I have a roommate, so wouldn't she feel the effects, too, if that was the case?"

Mal hummed, plopping her chin into her hand with a slight scowl. "Yeah, true."

"So, how could it come in contact with her skin everyday?" Evie wondered.

"Do you wear the same clothes very often?" Mal asked, though she sounded doubtful.

Alia shook her head while Evie spoke up. "Even if she did, it would wear off after a while and need to be refreshed. Whoever is doing this has to have the ability to get the potion to her almost everyday."

"Any chance it's your roommate?" Mal asked dubiously.

Alia thought about it. "I don't think so. She's really nice. I suppose that would be the perfect cover, but I don't think it's her."

"Anyone you don't get along with on campus?" Mal checked.

Alia scoffed slightly. "Try half my Swords team." she muttered. There was a moment of silence and Alia glanced up, realizing both girls were staring at her. She winced. "Sorry, it's not that bad. Just…some of the guys on my team don't think a girl should be on the team. But I don't think any of them have the guts or the brains to pull something like this off."

"Dominic's nice to you, right?" Evie asked worriedly, temporarily distracted from their problem. Alia glanced curiously at her, and she elaborated, "Dominic is the son of Doc, so he's Doug cousin. He's mentioned you to Doug a couple times. He said he admires you and thinks you're a great competitor."

Alia blinked. Sure, Dominic was one of the few guys to treat her like an equal, but she didn't expect him to actually speak highly of her to other people.

"Okay, that's sweet. Now, back on topic." Mal urged impatiently. "So, you can't think of anyone who might be behind this, and we can't figure out how they might be doing this. E, is there at least some kind of cure or something?"

Evie skimmed through the page she'd been looking at. "Kind of. Basically, she just needs to not have any contact with the potion for a while, so that it kind of wears off. Like a detox to get the potion out of her system."

"Great. Except that will be kinda difficult if we don't know _how _she's coming into contact with it. So we don't know what she needs to avoid to do that."

Evie sighed. "Yeah."

"Does that book say why people tend to use this potion?" Alia asked quietly. "Is this person trying to kill me or something?"

Evie hummed dubiously. "This potion isn't typically used to kill people. That would take way too long. It weakens you physically, but it's used more for what it does to the person mentally and emotionally. But it doesn't say much more than that."

Mal sighed. "Well, at least we've figured something out. Maybe we should get some sleep, and in the morning we can tell your parents and the others. Maybe they'll have some idea of what's going on."

Alia nodded, starting to feel exhausted herself. But she knew she'd end up having a nightmare.

"Do you want us to bring our stuff in here?" Evie offered. "We can all sleep in here, like that sleepover we suggested."

Alia smiled slightly. Silently, she scooted over to the far edge of the bed and patted the large, empty space left next to her, plenty of room for the two other girls. Mal and Evie smiled in return.

A few minutes later, all three girls snuggled down under the blanket together. It felt nice, to not be completely alone anymore. Alia just hoped the company kept the nightmares at bay for the night.

**OoOoO**

**Now we know at least some of what's going on with Alia. What do you all think of this little twist in the story? **

**I made up the Minuere Potion, so it's not some Disney canon thing. If there's any similarities to something else, it's completely accidental.**

**Review and let me know what you all thought of this chapter! I hope everyone liked it!**


	11. Chapter 11

Alia slept in later than she had the whole year, which was only until about 8:30. It wasn't a perfectly restful sleep, she had a nightmare around two in the morning. She accidentally woke Mal and Evie, who helped her fall back to sleep.

They all headed down to breakfast around nine. Mal and Alia stayed in their comfy pajamas, their hair still ruffled from sleep. Evie insisted on changing into her clothes for the day and brushing her hair.

When they got down to the large dining hall in the palace, they found nearly everyone already there eating from the large breakfast the cooks had prepared. Aladdin was seated at the head of the table, talking to Jasmine, who was sitting to his right, and Jasmine's father, who was sitting to his left. Jay and Carlos were talking animatedly about something, practically ignoring Dude who was sitting up and begging for food at Carlos's side. Abu was perched on Jay's shoulder, snatching food either from Jay's plate or his hands and stuffing it in his face.

When the three girls entered the room all talking paused as all eyes landed on them.

Jay stared at his sister for a moment. She was wearing a big hoodie, one of Shang's old ones if he remembered correctly, and pajama pants. Her long, black hair was frizzy and messy from sleep, but that's not what he noticed. Her skin was pale, her eyes slightly bloodshot with bags under them, and she appeared to be avoiding looking at any of them.

Mal and Evie both glanced at Alia before heading for the table, Alia trailing after them. She was fiddling with her sweatshirt sleeves, which were long enough that they could cover her hands. The three girls had decided before leaving Alia's room that they would tell the others about the potion after breakfast.

Everyone returned to their conversations and food, though it felt slightly forced. Jay met Mal's eyes, and she silently nodded her head once. It was her way of silently telling him that they'd got some answers. Jay relaxed minutely, but he still cast a worried glance at his sister before talking to Carlos again. They were discussing some colleges that Carlos might consider attending after he graduated.

Jasmine and Aladdin exchanged a glance, continuously glancing in their daughter's direction worriedly. Jasmine had known something was wrong the moment her daughter stepped off the plane, but she held her tongue, knowing how independent her daughter could be. Aladdin later insisted they let the kids try to get Alia to open up, as she might appreciate that more than having her parents bugging her. Jasmine had relented, but insisted that if nothing changed by Thursday evening, she was going to talk to her daughter.

Alia picked at her food, trying to force herself to eat something. She could feel people watching her, probably wanting her to eat more. But it seemed knowing _why _she always felt nauseous didn't actually alleviate the issue. Go figure.

Movement at the edge of her plate startled Alia, causing her eyes to snap up just enough to see Abu. He was crouching on the table by her plate, tilting his head up at her curiously. He babbled at her for a moment, probably asking what her problem was, though Alia couldn't understand what he was saying.

Blinking, Alia picked up some of her eggs with her fingers, offering to the little monkey. Abu's eyes lit up and he seemed to forget why he was worried in the first place as he snatched the food from her fingers, shoving it messily into his mouth.

Alia smiled as the little monkey scampered up her arm to perch on her shoulder, waiting expectantly as he snuggled into her neck. Alia knew part of it was him sucking up to her to get some more of her food, but she appreciated the normalcy of the affection nonetheless. So, she continued giving him bits of her food as she tried to force some down herself.

When everyone was finishing up, Mal bumped her elbow to Alia's, causing the Arabian girl to glance over at her. Mal raised her eyebrows silently, her way of telling Alia to talk.

Alia took a deep breath, slowly pushing her plate away from her.

"Alia has something to say." Mal announced abruptly, causing everyone to fall silent and turn to look at Alia expectantly.

Alia glared lightly at Mal, who wasn't fazed in the slightest. Taking a deep breath, Alia fixed her eyes at her hands, which were fiddling with the ends of her sleeves.

"Um, well, I guess I haven't quite been myself lately. I guess." she muttered quietly. "I haven't been feeling well. Like, headaches, nausea. I haven't been sleeping well."

"Are you pregnant?" Aladdin abruptly interrupted. Jasmine instantly whacked his arm, while Alia turned her wide eyes on her father. Her pale face was suddenly much redder. Jay coughed to cover up a laugh, seeing a brief glimpse of his sister in the shell of a girl across from him.

"_No_, Dad. Shang and I aren't at that level." Alia grumbled. Then, her eyes lowered to the table at the thought she wasn't even sure if her and Shang were a couple anymore.

"Honestly, Aladdin." Jasmine huffed at her husband. "Keep going, sweetie." she added more gently to her daughter.

Alia nodded. "Long story short, I've been…weird for a couple months or so now. And Mal and Evie discovered why last night. Apparently I've been exposed to some potion."

"The Minuere Potion." Evie cut in.

"Yeah, that." Alia agreed, neither noticing Jay's eyes widening slightly. "It sounds like someone has found a way to…get it to me, probably about everyday for a couple months or so. It takes time for symptoms to start showing, and it takes frequent exposure for it to take effect."

"Do you know how you're being exposed to it?" Jasmine asked worriedly.

Alia shook her head, exchanging glances with Evie and Mal. "We made a few guesses, but it's hard to really know for sure." Alia admitted.

"But it's likely happening at school." Aladdin guessed thoughtfully, causing her to nod. "Maybe we need to pull you out of school for a while, just until we can figure this out."

Alia frowned at the thought. She put so much work into school the past couple months, she'd hate to throw that all away.

"Or send some guards or something?" Jasmine suggested, causing Alia to grimace. That suggestion was almost worse.

"Do you have any idea who might be behind this?" Aladdin asked.

"We threw out a few theories, but again, it's hard to know for sure." Mal answered.

"Anyone in school that I can think of is either too nice, or too stupid." Alia summed up bluntly.

"I might have an idea." Jay announced slowly, causing everyone to turn to him. "Jafar mentioned the Minuere Potion a few times." he admitted hesitantly.

Tense silence fell over the room. Of course, they shouldn't be too surprised. Knowing Jafar was on the loose, everyone sort of expected him to be lurking in the shadows, just waiting for the right time to exact his revenge.

"Jafar uses this potion?" Aladdin repeated tensely.

Jay nodded once, clenching his jaw. "He always said it was the best potion to use against your enemy if you have the time and patience. But he never really explained _why _he used it."

"And _how _would he get it to Alia?" Mal added. "She lives on a college campus. He can't just hang around the grounds. He would have to watch her close enough to know her routine, and he'd have to have access to her. And he'd have to be able to get the potion to her without accidentally getting it to anyone else."

"He wouldn't care about getting anyone else." Jay pointed out.

"But Alia has a roommate, and she said she hasn't noticed any change in her." Evie pointed out.

"Okay, so all we really know for sure is that Alia is being exposed to this potion." Aladdin pointed out. "We don't know how and we don't know, for sure, by who." he added. "I'm going to call a meeting with my head guards and discuss this with them, and we'll try to come up with a solution. Jay?" he urged.

Jay stood from his seat. "I want to be there."

Mal also stood up. "I'd like to be there, as well, if that's alright. If it is a villain behind this, and even if it's not, Ben will probably need to be informed at some point."

Aladdin nodded in agreement. He stood and moved around the table, stopping to kiss his wife on the cheek, and then his daughter on the head. He brushed his hand down her messy hair before leaving the room. Mal squeezed her shoulder before following.

Jay moved around the table, gently tugging Alia up by the arm. She let him pull her into a tight hug. She tried to fight down the flash of irritation, knowing it was because of the potion. She couldn't let the potion beat her. She hugged her brother back, resting her head on his chest.

"I won't let them hurt you, Sis. Jafar, or anyone else." Jay whispered into her ear. Alia nodded, and Jay kissed her forehead before letting her go and following their father from the room.

They didn't reappear for a few hours, during which time Alia, Evie, and Carlos hung out in the lounge, watching a popular TV show on the large flat screen. Dude was curled up on the couch between Carlos and Alia, Abu was snuggled into Alia's neck under her hair, and Raisa was resting on a shaggy carpet nearby.

"So, what do you think they're deciding?" Carlos finally asked, making Evie glare at him around Alia's head. They were trying not to make Alia think about what was going on, but honestly Alia couldn't help doing so anyway.

"I don't know." Alia sighed. "But I really hope they can come up with something other than pulling me out of school, or giving me body guards. I've worked too hard this semester to just throw it away. And I don't need to give my teammates another reason to think I shouldn't be on the team." Realizing how spoiled that sounded, she added quickly, "But if it's the only way, I mean, I'm willing to…I don't want to make anything difficult for anyone…you know…" she trailed off awkwardly.

"We know." Evie assured her, wrapping an arm around Alia's shoulder and hugging her to her side.

"Hey, I haven't seen this episode yet. You better not spoil it for me." a familiar voice suddenly teased from behind the couch.

All three turned around, Alia whipping around faster than the others. Their eyes fell on the familiar teenage girl with fair skin, blue eyes, and long black hair with pink highlights. Abu had already shrieked excitedly, flying off the couch to greet the newcomer.

"Jordan." Alia muttered, nearly leaping off the couch and running around it, throwing her arms around her childhood best friend, who she hadn't seen in at least a few months, the longest they'd ever gone without seeing each other. She nearly knocked Abu off Jordan's shoulders in her haste, making him shriek in protest.

Jordan's arms were tight around Alia's back, hugging her back just as closely. "Hey, 'Lia. I hear you're having some issues." she joked quietly.

Alia laughed, her voice shaky as her eyes watered. "Yeah, just a bit." she agreed. She glanced up and past Jordan's shoulder to see Genie standing there, smiling at the two girls. She smiled back. "What are you both doing here?" she finally asked, pulling back from the hug. "Did my dad call and tell you?"

"Nope." Genie answered, stepping up and hugging Alia tightly, actually lifting her off the ground for a few seconds before putting her back on her feet. "Well, yes." he amended as he stepped back again, putting a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "We were already on the way here, planning to spend the holiday at home with all of you. But Aladdin called me about an hour ago, when we were already on the way here, and filled me in. Actually, I'm supposed to meet him and the others in the meeting room to make plans. So, you kids catch up. And 'Lia?" he added, his voice that of the gentle uncle figure she could always go to as a child. "Don't worry. We'll figure this all out."

Alia nodded, giving him a grateful smile before he turned and left the room. Jordan tossed her arm around Alia's shoulder, leading her back to the couch. Evie scooted over, making room for the two girls to sit between her and Carlos, who picked up Dude to put him in his lap. Abu stayed snuggled up to Jordan on her shoulder. Raisa climbed to her feet and trotted over, sitting and resting her chin in Jordan's lap. Alia eyed the tiger warily as Jordan absentmindedly stroked the striped head, talking with Evie about her latest trip.

Raisa's amber eyes moved from Jordan's face to Alia's, causing the girl's breath to catch in her throat. Not in fear, but grief. She just wanted to hug and cuddle with her beloved tiger.

Raisa lifted her head, leaning forward slightly to sniff at Alia's leg. Alia remained still, waiting to see what would happen. Raisa sniffed her a few times before slowly, gently, resting her chin on Alia's knee.

Alia swallowed thickly. She was so entranced in the interaction, she didn't notice the others fall quiet and watch. Raising a hand, Alia slowly held it out to the tiger.

Raisa sniffed it, but otherwise didn't move. Alia slowly, hesitantly, rested her hand on Raisa's head. She stroked the short fur, slowly moving her hand around to scratch behind her black ears. A loud purr rumbled in Raisa's chest, her eyes falling shut as she tilted her head into Alia's hand. A smile tugged at Alia's lips even as tears filled her eyes. Still slightly wary, Alia slowly leaned down, her hand sliding down Raisa's neck to her back as she wrapped her arms around the tiger, hugging her and burying her face in the thick fur of her neck.

Alia was scared, not knowing what would happen in the future. There was so much they didn't know, that they were merely guessing. But she tried to push away all the negative emotions that she now knew were due mainly to the potion in her system. She tried to be hopeful, reminding herself she wasn't alone. She had her family and friends on her side, ready and willing to do what they had to to help her.


	12. Chapter 12

"I don't understand why you didn't tell me what was going on." Jasmine told her daughter gently.

"Because I know you." Alia admitted quietly. "You worry about me and Jay all the time, I didn't want to worry you. Plus, the potion is supposed to make you isolated. It gives you reasons to push everyone away so there's no one to help you."

The holiday came and went, but it was now Friday. They'd all tried to push all the potion problems to the back of their minds on Thursday, wanting to try and enjoy the holiday with their family and close friends. Friday morning, Aladdin had Mal call a meeting with King Ben to discuss what was happening and what the King thought might be the best solution. Unfortunately, it seemed Aladdin, Genie, and the guards were leaning more toward keeping Alia home from school for a while, at least to let the potion get out of her system and see if they could figure out how she was being exposed to it. No decisions were set in stone, yet, but that appeared to be their best option. Jasmine suggested contacting the school and informing them of at least part of the situation, and maybe seeing if Alia could continue her studies online.

Jasmine sighed, taking her daughter's hand in hers. They were outside in the palace's back garden, sitting on the edge of the large fountain.

"I'll try not to worry so much." Jasmine told her. "Though this whole situation certainly isn't helping." she added, partially joking. Alia chuckled slightly.

"I suppose not." she agreed.

Jasmine glanced past Alia's shoulder, a smile coming onto her face. She glanced at her daughter and lightly cleared her throat. When Alia looked at her, Jasmine glanced past her slightly before standing up.

"I'm going to head inside." she announced quietly.

Confused, Alia glanced over her shoulder as her mom walked away. When her eyes landed on her visitor, they widened and she instantly looked back down at her knees. She heard her mom say something to the visitor before going inside, then footsteps coming closer.

Shang stepped around Alia before sitting next to her on the fountain.

"Hey." he greeted her casually.

Alia bit her lip, glancing up to see him already watching her. "Hi." she whispered. She cleared her throat slightly. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

She looked back down at her hands, which were fiddling with the hem of her shirt. "A lot of things. But mostly for what I said to you last time we talked. You didn't deserve any of that."

Shang nodded. "Yeah, not going to argue there." he agreed lightly, making Alia look away in shame. Then she felt Shang take her hand from her lap, holding it tightly. His hands were warm and covered in rough calluses. "But I was right about what I said during that argument. That wasn't you. Jay explained about what's going on, with the potion and how it's been effecting you. That's not your fault. I was angry, and frustrated, especially when you wouldn't respond to any of my calls and texts when I wanted to try and talk and fix things." he admitted. "But be honest with me," he urged, reaching over and using his finger to gently tug her chin around so she had to face him, "do you want to fix this? Now knowing what the potion is doing to you, do you still want a relationship with me?"

Alia swallowed a lump in her throat before quickly nodding her head. Even before her and Shang started dating, they'd been friends. She could always turn to him if she needed to. He always had her back. "Yeah. I-I don't know why I kept pushing you away. I mean, I know it was the potion, but I wanted to talk to you. I just…"

Shang smiled at her. "I know. It's okay. We can talk now. Or whenever you want. We've got plenty of time. Of course, I'm here for at least the next couple days, so we could talk in person instead of over the phone that way."

Alia tilted her head slightly. "What? You're here for the weekend?"

Shang grinned. "Jay may or may not have invited Lonnie and me over for the rest of the holiday weekend."

"Before or after this whole potion thing came to light?" Alia asked curiously.

"Before, actually. He asked a couple weeks ago. I honestly think part of it was him missing Lonnie, and part of it was both of them wanting us to talk and work things out." Shang admitted.

Alia chuckled, shaking her head slightly. "So much for the whole 'no meddling' rule." she joked.

"Yeah, let's face it. After our first date, that rule was never going to hold up." Shang laughed, which was echoed by Alia's laugh at the memory.

Her and Shang went on their first date about a week after Cotillion. Shang took Alia to Potts' Bakery and Bistro for dinner, while Jay and Lonnie had a movie and pizza date in Lonnie and Alia's dorm room. Near the end of the date, Alia discovered Abu hiding in her bag, sent by Jay to spy on Alia and Shang's date. When they got back to Lonnie and Alia's dorm it was to discover Shang had asked Mushu to spy on Jay and Lonnie as well. Abu had scampered to Jay and "told" him that he approved of Shang, while Mushu grudgingly announced he didn't hate Jay.

"I suppose that's true." Alia admitted while Shang scooted closer to her so they were more sitting next to each other, still holding hands atop his knee.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Shang asked.

Alia shrugged. "I don't even know where to begin." she admitted. "Well, you were right." she added after a moment. "When you told me that day that I was losing weight. Because the potion was making me nauseous, I haven't been eating much. Maybe a meal a day, at the most."

"And Jay said that's been going on basically as long as you've been at Triton's Bay?" Shang checked, making Alia nod. "And you've been nauseous about that long?"

Alia opened her mouth, thinking it over before slowly shaking her head. "I'm not sure." she admitted.

"I'm asking because I remember the first time I video chatted with you, about a week into the school year. I think I remember you mentioning being hungry during that video chat, but you'd forgotten or something to eat dinner. Or maybe you didn't have time?"

Alia thought back, trying to remember the details of that conversation. "I remember which time you're talking about." she agreed after a moment. "I think it was because I went to practice, then my dorm to work on homework. I hadn't gotten around to eating yet when you called."

"But you mentioned being hungry. Or was that a lie to keep me from worrying?"

Alia narrowed her eyes, trying to think harder to remember every detail of that night. "I remember you calling. I had just finished Swords practice, so I probably looked gross. I was wearing your shirt, and you teased me about it." she started, grinning slightly when Shang smirked. A moment later, his smirk faltered.

"When I teased you, you laughed, but then got a headache." he remembered.

Alia straightened slightly, turning to look at him. "That's right." she agreed, just remembering that as well. "I brushed it off, figuring I wasn't drinking enough water. And I then mentioned needing to eat something, because I hadn't eaten much."

"And then you hung up not long after that." Shang added. "So, did you end up eating something?"

"I took a break from homework to take a shower. And then…" she trailed off. "And then I went to find something to eat, but the thought of eating suddenly made me feel sick." she explained slowly.

"So, you _were _hungry, and then you weren't?" Shang checked. "So, what changed?"

Alia stared at him, her eyes wide. "I took a shower." she answered in a hushed voice, getting an idea.

"So, the shower. Does that fit with everything? With how the potion works or whatever?" Shang asked urgently.

"Evie and Mal said the potion can be exposed to someone through skin contact. I've showered in my dorm bathroom nearly everyday since arriving in Triton's Bay." Alia explained, the puzzle pieces starting to click together in her mind. "But, if that's what it is, how is this person getting the potion in my water?"

Shang shrugged. "No clue. But we should probably mention it to your dad and the others."

Alia stared at him for a moment before wrapping her arms around his neck. Shang hugged her back, his arms tight around her lower back as he held her close. She sighed, almost feeling a sense of relief.

"I've missed you." she admitted quietly against his neck.

"I've missed you, too." Shang told her, his fingers scratching lightly against her back.

Alia pulled back, Shang's arms releasing their hold to let her. Her eyes met his for a few moments, and he brushed his fingers over her cheek. Alia smiled slightly before leaning in and kissing him.

It wasn't their first kiss by any means. Their first kiss had been on their second date over a year ago. But somehow, this kiss felt just as significant, if not more so. Alia couldn't quite place why, all she knew was that she felt warm inside.

It was several moments before they separated, smiling at each other. Shang searched her eyes for a few moments, his hand still brushing her cheek. He opened his mouth to say something when someone cleared their throat.

They awkwardly pulled away, at least Alia felt awkward while Shang looked mildly annoyed. Glancing over Alia's shoulder, they found Jay and Lonnie standing several feet away. Jay looked awkward while Lonnie was grinning, looking amused.

"If you two are done making up," Jay started sarcastically, still avoiding looking in their direction, "Lonnie was hoping for a minute of your time, Sis."

Shang chuckled. He gave Alia a kiss on the cheek before standing up. "We'll leave you girls to talk. If you want, I'll go mention what we thought up to the others?" he offered to Alia.

She nodded, giving him a small smile. "That'd be great. Thanks, Shang."

He smiled in return before walking away. He ruffled Lonnie's hair as he passed, making her punch him in retaliation. Jay followed Shang, and they began talking, probably about what Alia and Shang had figured out.

Lonnie approached the fountain and sat on Alia's side opposite to the one Shang had sat on.

"Hi." she greeted her, smiling.

Alia returned the smile hesitantly. "Hi. I'm really sorry about-"

"No. Stop. Don't even go there." Lonnie quickly interrupted her. "I was mad that you weren't talking to me. But honestly, I should have pushed harder to talk to you. I gave up way too easily for a best friend. And especially after what happened between you and Shang…I was way too fast to blame you. I should have known in that moment that something was very wrong. I should have pushed to find out what was going on. And now, knowing what's been going on with you, I just feel awful."

"You're not completely at fault, Lonnie." Alia assured her. "Despite what the potion was doing to me, I should have talked to someone. I mean, I knew something was off. I could have done more."

"Let's just agree that a lot of people could have done something differently." Lonnie decided, making Alia smile.

"Good idea." she agreed. Lonnie hugged Alia tightly, nearly cracking Alia's back, but she didn't mind. Lonnie had always been a hugger, and Alia missed her hugs.

They spent the next twenty minutes catching up on as much as they could think of before going inside for lunch. The table was nearly twice as full as it had been the day before with the added guests. Alia sat between Shang and Jordan and across from Lonnie. Conversation flowed easily around the table, many people talking about many different topics at once. They only quieted slightly when a guard entered the room, approaching Aladdin at the head of the table while everyone watched curiously.

"Sultan Aladdin. There's a…visitor in the palace." the guard admitted hesitantly.

"Okay. I don't have any meetings or visits scheduled. What's the visitor's name?" Aladdin asked curiously.

"That's the thing, sir. He…he kind of broke into the palace. He got in, but then approached us and said he needed to speak with you. He insists you'll know him and will agree to see him. But he wouldn't give us a name."

Aladdin exchanged a confused glance with Genie and Jasmine before turning back to the guard.

"Very well. Um, bring him in. I'd like to speak to him." Aladdin ordered, causing the guard to hurry from the room.

"Wonder what that's about." Shang whispered near Alia's ear. She shrugged, having no clue either.

A few moments later, the doors opened and several guards entered the room, surrounding a single man. They parted to let the man come into view, and Alia's breath caught in her throat in mere surprise. She saw a few similar expressions around the table.

"Hello, Son."

It was Cassim.

**OoOoO**

**Here's an early chapter for the holidays, especially since I kind of mirrored the holiday in the story with Thanksgiving(the holiday on Thursday in November and a four day weekend).**

**Let me know what you all thought, and I'll try to post the next chapter sometime this weekend!**

**Happy Thanksgiving and thank you for all your support and kind reviews!**


	13. Chapter 13

Aladdin stood up from his seat at the head of the table, his expression one of pure shock. A few others had similar expressions, while a majority of the table looked curious or confused.

"Dad." Aladdin breathed, still in shock.

The guards hesitantly stepped back, probably figuring they weren't needed as much if this was Sultan Aladdin's father.

Cassim nodded a greeting to his son before his eyes swept the table. He smiled at Jay and Alia before his gaze returned to Aladdin's.

Seeming to finally come out of his shock, Aladdin moved around the table to approach his father. They hugged, and while it seemed hesitant and awkward at first, it quickly grew into a tighter hug, a reunion between father and son.

Jasmine stood and moved around the table to join her husband. When the two parted, Cassim smiled warmly down at his daughter-in-law.

"Jasmine. Wonderful to see you again." Cassim greeted her, kissing the back of her hand.

"It's wonderful to see you, as well, Cassim." Jasmine greeted him, smiling in return. "Jay, Alia," she added turning toward the table, "come meet your grandfather."

Jay and Alia stood and moved around the table, approaching their parents.

"Well, technically we've already met." Cassim admitted, grinning at his grandchildren.

"Wait, what? When?" Aladdin demanded, looking between them.

"Uh, well, he randomly showed up at a coffee shop in Triton's Bay and introduced himself while offering me a cup of my favorite coffee." Alia admitted, making Aladdin raise an eyebrow at his father.

"And I met him in the dark Triton's Bay campus parking lot after beating Alia in our Swords match." Jay answered, grinning slightly at how weird that all sounded. It made Cassim sound a bit like a creepy stalker.

Aladdin turned and stared at his dad for a moment. "Okay." he said, drawing out the "o" sound.

"On that note, I'm actually here for a reason." Cassim admitted. He glanced at Alia before looking back at Aladdin. "There's something pretty serious we need to discuss. And we should keep it relatively low-key."

Alia and Jay exchanged a glance, both having a pretty good idea what he was talking about. Jafar's staff.

"How low-key are we talking?" Aladdin asked suspiciously.

Cassim glanced at Jay and Alia. "What do you two think? Not that I don't trust everyone in this room, but some people may…disagree with how I handled things." he explained pointedly.

Alia glanced over her shoulder, letting her eyes travel over everyone watching the exchange. She knew some of them wouldn't like the fact that Cassim stole the staff, like Mal.

She looked back at Jay, seeing he was looking thoughtful as well.

"What do you think?" she whispered to him.

"Mal won't like it." he whispered back. "Or Evie. The others might understand when he explains. But they should all know. If Jafar is trying to steal the staff, and if he is the one with the potion, it might be connected. The more people we trust who know what's going on, the better protected you are."

Alia nodded slowly before turning back to Cassim and her parents, who were watching them curiously.

"We can trust everyone in this room." she announced definitively.

Aladdin dismissed all the guards while the others sat at the table. Aladdin took his seat at the head of the table, and Jasmine insisted on Cassim sitting next to his son while she sat on her father-in-law's other side.

"Okay, now what's this all about?" Aladdin asked his father.

"Well, to be blunt, I'm the one who stole Jafar's scepter from the museum." Cassim announced, causing several people to gape at him. From across the table, Alia saw Mal's eyes glow poison green, her expression enraged. "But to be fair, I stole it to keep it out of Jafar's hands. I have it hidden in a safe place for the moment, so there's no chance of Jafar getting it."

"What makes you so sure you can protect it better than we can?" Mal demanded sternly.

"Oh, the situation with the crown and Maleficent's scepter comes to mind." Cassim answered pointedly, making Mal's eyes flash again.

"Now, there's no reason to argue amongst ourselves." Jasmine interrupted carefully.

"Cassim told me and Alia about this already." Jay announced carefully, causing several people to glance among the twins.

"And he said that Jafar was the one who attempted to steal the staff the first time, and failed." Alia added.

"Okay. So why did you come here now and tell us all of this?" Aladdin asked, staring at his father searchingly.

"Well, to be fair, Alia told me to tell you this over a month ago." Cassim admitted. "And I'll admit, it was a good idea. But I wanted to stick around Triton's Bay for a while to keep an eye on her." he added, glancing over at his granddaughter, who looked down awkwardly.

"So, you knew something was wrong with her?" Shang asked carefully, resting a hand on Alia's back. Cassim silently noted the exchange before nodding his head.

"I may not know her well, but the little I saw while in Triton's Bay seemed different than what I expected." Cassim admitted.

"There's more to that, which we've just discovered in the past couple days." Jay admitted, glancing at Alia. "But we can tell you about that later. For now, we should discuss what we all need to do about the scepter."

"He should give it back so Ben and I can protect it." Mal ordered, glaring coolly at the King of Thieves, who wasn't impressed.

"Right. Because you did so well keeping me from taking it. Or keeping a spoiled princess from stealing your mother's scepter." Cassim countered sarcastically.

"Alright, alright, hold on." Aladdin held his hands out calmly between the arguing pair. "Let's try to discuss this rationally. We all want the same thing. To keep the scepter, and _all of Auradon_, safe. Right?" he added pointedly.

Everyone around the table nodded or murmured agreement. Mal still looked peeved, but she agreed with what Aladdin said. After all, as future Queen the safety of Auradon was her main concern now.

"Alright, so do we have any specific ideas on how we plan to protect the scepter?" Aladdin urged the group.

"We should probably start with keeping all this rather quiet." Shang suggested. "If we announce to all of Auradon that we have the scepter somewhere safe, sure that would reassure everyone, but it would also let Jafar know that we have it. As much as not knowing is worrying some people, it's giving us an advantage."

"I at least have to tell Ben." Mal argued. "Especially with everything going on with Alia, he needs to know that Jafar is after the scepter as well, and that it might all be connected."

"Speaking of Alia," Cassim spoke up pointedly, "you said you figured out what was going on with her?" he urged, glancing form his son, to Jay, to Alia, and back again.

Jay gave Cassim a brief rundown of what they figured out about the potion Alia was being exposed to, and their theory Jafar was behind it. He also added the information Shang had brought to them earlier, about their thoughts Alia might be getting exposed through the shower. Jay also showed his distaste for the thought Jafar knew enough about Alia's shower schedule to pull that off.

"But for the short-term, we've figured out Alia can get the potion out of her system by simply not being exposed to it for a while." Mal concluded.

"But not for the long-term." Cassim guessed, glancing down the table at his granddaughter, who looked down at the tabletop. She didn't particularly like being the topic of discussion. Jay sensed that and moved the conversation along.

"Back to the topic at hand; the scepter. So, we should probably keep it from being public knowledge. What else?" Jay urged.

"It's safe where it is." Cassim pointed out.

"We could keep it safe in Ben's castle." Mal countered. "It would be better protected there than the museum."

"True." Genie spoke for the first time. "But if Jafar gets wind of the scepter's whereabouts, wouldn't your castle be a fairly obvious hiding place?"

"What if we brought it here?" Jordan suggested.

"Jafar used to live and work here." Carlos pointed out. "Wouldn't he know this place as well as anyone?"

"Not necessarily." Jasmine answered thoughtfully. "We've done quite a bit of renovating the last couple decades. Many of Jafar's preferred hideouts are long gone, and we have some new ones he won't know about."

"And we'll have plenty of guards. And if it would make King Ben feel better, maybe he could send some of his own guards." Aladdin suggested to Mal. "And perhaps we could use a combination of Genie magic and Fairy Godmother's wand to add extra protective measures."

Mal nodded thoughtfully. "That's a possibility, I suppose. I'll have to run it by Ben, of course."

"Of course." Aladdin agreed.

"So, where, exactly, did you stash the staff?" Jay asked his grandfather curiously.

Cassim smirked slightly, glancing over at Aladdin. "Somewhere no one will find it. Because only a few living people in Auradon know how to get in."

Aladdin's eyes narrowed thoughtfully before they widened. "The cave?" he whispered in amazement, making Cassim nod.

"What cave?" Jay asked in interest, his question echoed by several others.

"The Cave of Wonders?" Alia guessed curiously.

"God, no!" Cassim laughed. "I'd never get in there. Only one man has gone in there and lived." he added, smirking at his son.

"Then what cave?" Jay repeated urgently.

Cassim smirked for a moment. "The cave of the Forty Thieves." he answered.

Jasmine gasped. "Of course! That's perfect."

"I've never heard of it." Carlos announced, confused. Mal, Evie, Jay, and several others also looked confused. They'd all heard tales of the Forty Thieves, but a cave or hideout was never mentioned.

"A gang of thieves that large needed a well-hidden place to plan and stash their loot." Cassim explained. "We had a secret cave that no one could find or enter, only those who knew how." he explained vaguely.

"And with the rest of the forty thieves dead or imprisoned here in Agrabah, the only ones left who know how to enter are you and Aladdin." Jasmine finished, amazed.

"Wait, why didn't the rest of the Forty Thieves get sent to the Isle?" Evie asked.

"Because our Captain of the Guard, Razoul, was too proud of the fact that he was able to capture nearly all of the Forty Thieves. There was no way he was letting King Adam take them and throw them on the Isle. So, they're still in the Agrabah dungeons." Jasmine explained.

"Why didn't they all just do that?" Carlos asked, baffled. "Wouldn't that have been, I don't know, a bit more humane than the whole 'Isle of the Lost' thing?"

Aladdin nodded slightly. "In retrospect, I suppose so. Especially with how everything turned out over there, and the conditions you all had to live in. But at the time, it sounded like a good idea."

"That's a discussion for another day." Mal decided. "For now, are we going to go get the staff from this cave and bring it here to be guarded?"

"I suppose that's our best option." Cassim nodded, glancing at his son for confirmation. Aladdin nodded in return.

"We just have to decide who is going, and how we're getting there." Aladdin pointed out. "Taking a car is out of the question. Horseback, or taking Carpet are probably our best options."

"I could fly in my dragon form." Mal pointed out.

"That would attract too much attention." Cassim countered, shaking his head. "Everyone in Auradon knows about you being a dragon, they'd see you and get curious about what you're doing all the way over here."

Mal huffed, but seemed to agree since she didn't argue.

"How long will the trip take?" Lonnie asked curiously.

"By horseback, about a day." Cassim answered.

"But about half that time by magic carpet." Aladdin added.

"But we only have access to one magic carpet." Genie pointed out, holding up a hand. Carpet zoomed by, giving Genie a high-five with one hand-like tassel. "Meanwhile, we have a whole stable filled with horses."

"So, our options are making the journey quick, or safe." Shang summed up. "Because going either alone or with one person could be risky, if Jafar is watching us or something."

"But we also don't want to take too many people." Aladdin pointed out. "The less people who know how to enter this cave, the better."

"So, how about we go by horseback, and we only have you, me, Jay,…" Cassim trailed off, his eyes sweeping the group at the table, "and Alia?"

"Is it really a good idea for Alia to go?" Evie asked warily. She glanced at Alia and added quickly, "Not that I doubt you could handle it. It's just, with everything going on, it might be safer for you to stay here."

"I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with you all going without someone else to protect you." Jasmine added, looking at Aladdin with concern.

"What if Shang and I went with?" Lonnie suggested eagerly. "We're both skilled swordsmen, and we have experience riding horses. We even have training sword fighting _on _horseback."

"She's right." Shang agreed. "And that's only two more people. Six in total. That's not very many."

Cassim glanced at Aladdin, who was nodding thoughtfully even as his eyes traveled worriedly to his daughter.

"Alia, are you sure you want to come?" Aladdin asked in concern. "With everything going on, wouldn't it be better for you to stay at home? So you can take it easy?"

Alia chewed her lip thoughtfully for a moment, glancing around the table at everyone staring at her. Her eyes met Jay's for a moment, and then Shang's. Both were looking at her expectantly. They didn't look worried, or wary, or like they thought she should stay behind. And she knew they'd both have her back. And if her brother, dad, and grandfather were all going, there was no way she was being left behind if she had any say in it.

"If it is Jafar exposing me to this potion, I'd like to be one of the people going to get the staff." Alia finally answered, looking back at her father.

Aladdin sighed, but nodded in agreement. "Alright then. So, Dad, me, Jay, Alia, Shang, and Lonnie. That should be plenty to make the trip. It'll take us about a day, so when do we want to leave?"

"I suppose that depends on how we all feel about traveling by night." Cassim pointed out. "If we wanted to leave today and try to get there by tomorrow, we could travel part of the way by night when it's cooler."

"I want to get started." Jay answered. "I say we leave today and get part of the trip over with."

Aladdin glanced up and across the room at a large clock on the wall, and Alia followed his gaze. It was just after one in the afternoon.

"How about…we leave around five. That gives us a few hours to pack whatever we need, plan out the route, and eat an early dinner or snack to tide us over. And the temperature will start going down about that time, so it won't be so hot. Sound like a plan?" he asked the room, causing several people to nod.

"And I'll call Ben to fill him in on what's happening." Mal decided. "Would you like to talk to him, as well, Sultan?" she asked Aladdin courteously.

Aladdin nodded. "That's probably a good idea. Let's do that now. Everyone else who's going, I suggest you start packing or getting ready in some way."

**OoOoO**

**Well, looks we're going on a road trip in the next chapter, and then the story really picks up. I can't wait!**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed over your Thanksgiving and Black Friday! Please review and let me know what you all thought of this chapter!**


	14. Chapter 14

Alia made sure the saddle was snug before buckling it in place. She smiled slightly when Lyra turned her big head to look back at Alia. She patted the horse on her soft nose, kissing the white star on her forehead. The Arabian mare was a beautiful red chestnut color with a white mane and tail, and her front left leg was white up to her knee. Alia had always loved going for long rides with her, and she was actually looking forward to this trip simply for the feeling of being back in the saddle.

She checked that her saddle bags were secure before turning away from her horse. Around her, Cassim, her dad, Jay, Shang, and Lonnie were also getting their things strapped onto horses.

Mal and Evie approached Alia where her horse was stood near Lonnie's.

"You'll be careful, right?" Evie checked, giving Alia a tight hug before doing the same with Lonnie.

Alia chuckled slightly. "Evie, I've been riding horses since I was five."

"Not quite what I meant." Evie countered, though her lips quirked slightly in amusement.

"We'll be fine." Lonnie assured her, tossing an arm around Alia's shoulders. "We run into any trouble, and Alia and I will handle it before the guys have time to blink." she boasted, causing Alia and the other girls to laugh.

Several feet away, Jasmine waited for Aladdin to finish strapping up his horse before giving him a hug. When they pulled away, both turned to watch the teenagers for a moment. Jay and Shang were strapping a tent to the back of Jay's horse, Carlos chatting with them. Nearby, the girls were talking and laughing.

"I'm worried about her." Jasmine admitted, her eyes fixed on her daughter. Alia still looked slightly paler than normal, with bags under her eyes. But at least she appeared to be laughing genuinely, not zoned out or faking it.

"I know." Aladdin agreed, wrapping his arm around his wife's waist. "But she'll be okay. She's surrounded by people who love her and will protect her when she needs it."

As he said that, Shang and Jay had finished with their horses and approached the girls. Shang popped up behind Alia and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, making her gasp and then laugh.

Aladdin nodded decisively. "She'll be fine." he stated confidently. Jasmine smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "We better get going." Aladdin called to everyone, causing them to get moving.

Alia confidently mounted her horse, looking over at Shang as he mounted one of the other horses from their stable.

"Bet you wish Cole was here." she commented. Cole was Shang's black Akhal-Teke horse.

Shang shrugged. "I suppose, but I can adapt. It would be a waste of time to get him here just for this. But he'd probably be faster." he teased, smirking slightly.

Alia stuck her tongue out at him. "You wish. Arabians are known for their speed and endurance."

"So are Akhal-Tekes." Shang countered, still smirking. "And Cole's father is a war hero."

Cole was the son of Mulan's horse, Khan.

With Aladdin and Cassim in the lead, the group waved goodbye to their friends and family before taking off at a canter. They didn't want to travel too fast a pace and wear the horses out too quickly. They traveled in a basic formation; Cassim and Aladdin in the lead with Jay, Lonnie, Alia, and Shang fanned out behind them.

They traveled late into the night, the hot desert air becoming almost cool as a night breeze blew over the sand. It was about midnight when they finally slowed to a stop.

Aladdin and Cassim surveyed their surroundings. They stood near a large rocky outcrop, which blocked some of the wind.

"This is about as good a place as any to make camp." Aladdin suggested.

Cassim nodded. "It's good. We've only got a few more hours before we reach the cave."

"If we're that close, couldn't we just go the rest of the way now?" Jay asked, bringing his horse closer to theirs to talk.

"We could, or we could sleep now and get there first thing in the morning." Cassim pointed out, dismounting his horse. The others followed suit, climbing down from their horses' backs.

They split up the work, some getting the horses settled, some pitching the three tents, and some setting up a campfire. They made short work of it, and before long they were all eating a quick meal around the fire before, one-by-one, they began to turn in for the night.

Aladdin kept first watch nearby while Cassim headed into the tent the two adults were sharing. Jay and Lonnie hung out in front of one of the tents, talking for a few more minutes. Alia and Shang were the last to leave the warmth of the dying fire, sitting close together with a blanket draped over their shoulders.

"This probably wasn't how you planned on spending this holiday weekend, huh?" Alia asked lightly, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Like you were?" Shang joked back, making Alia grin slightly.

"Guess not."

"So, now that you're getting better, with the potion somewhat leaving your system, anything you want to honestly talk about?" Shang asked quietly.

Alia chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. "Well,…honestly? College hasn't been going all that great." she admitted. She'd always been able to openly talk with Shang. And she never wanted that to change.

"I figured that much." Shang answered gently, rubbing his hand over her shoulder under the blanket. "You've been putting a lot of work into it, which would stress you out even without the potion in your system."

"I know, but…I think Jay was right. I think I did take one too many classes. I should have dropped Chemistry as soon as the first week. On top of Swords, it's just been too much. And Swords is another issue all together."

Shang looked down at her, worry filling his dark brown eyes. They almost looked black in the dark apart from the small amount of firelight making part of them almost glow amber. "What do you mean? You've always loved Swords. You never really thought of practice as being work, you said it was fun."

Alia nodded. "And it is. When I have friends on the team." she admitted quietly.

Shang was silent for a moment, taking in her words. "You don't have any friends on your team?" he checked.

Alia shrugged, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs as she stared at the dying embers of the fire. "I mean, Dominic has been nice to me. And Harvey, our Captain, he pretty much just leaves me to myself. But most of the team either avoid me or are flat out mean. At Auradon Prep, Chad was really the only one on the team who gave me a hard time. But it's the opposite now. Most of my team wants nothing to do with me. I practice on my own most of the time. That's why I've been putting so much work in at practices. I have to work so much harder just to prove myself every single day. It's just exhausting."

Shang sighed, leaning over and kissing the top of her head. "I'm sorry it's like that, 'Lia. I wish I could do something, but that probably wouldn't help, would it?"

Alia smiled grimly. "Having my boyfriend defend me to my teammates? No, that'd probably prove them all right. Who knows, though? Maybe now that we know about the potion, things will get better. I won't feel so miserable. I know that's definitely been effecting my fighting. I haven't been on top of my game for a while now."

"That's the spirit." Shang agreed. "Things will all work out somehow. It just may not end up being the way you think it will."

Alia nodded thoughtfully. "I suppose that's true." she agreed.

"You could drop out of college and go pro like Lonnie and me." Shang suggested lightly with a smirk.

Alia chuckled. "I don't think so, but you never know, I guess."

Shang looked down at her for a moment before leaning down and lightly kissing her. "Whatever happens in the future, I've got your back, Alia. You just have to trust me enough to let me help."

Alia smiled up at him. "I know. Thank you."

Shang opened his mouth to say something else, when Aladdin lightly called from where he was keeping watch atop a rock. "You two should get to sleep. We want to leave at a relatively decent hour."

Shang sighed while Alia told her dad they were going to sleep now.

"I see where Jay gets his timing." Shang mumbled near her ear as they stood up and headed toward the tents. Alia smirked lightly at him.

Leaning up, she kissed him on the lips for a few moments. "Goodnight." she whispered near his lips.

Shang grinned. "Night. See you in the morning."

With that, they separated, each entering their own tent. Shang entered the tent he was sharing with Jay, while Alia entered the tent she was sharing with Lonnie. She crawled into her sleeping bag and settled down for the night, hoping her nightmares would stay away for one night.

Cassim woke everyone up several hours later, after the sun had risen above the horizon. Alia knew she'd slept restlessly, but luckily she hadn't actually woken up during the night that she could remember.

They took down their tents and packed away their things, eating a quick breakfast before mounting their horses and continuing on their way. As they traveled, the air seemed to get cooler instead of warmer, even though the sun was rising higher in the sky. Within a few hours of traveling, they came to the ocean.

Alia glanced around curiously. Cassim and Aladdin were staring across a narrow stretch of the ocean at the cliff face on the other side. Jay's horse was pacing slightly behind them, though whether it was the horse that was restless or Jay himself, it was hard to tell. Alia exchanged a curious glance with Lonnie, and then Shang on her other side.

Then, Cassim brought his horse right to the edge of the sea, the lapping waves mere inches from it's hooves.

He brought up a hand, holding it out with his palm facing the cliff face. Finally, in a booming voice, he called out, "Open Sesame!"

There was a second of silence so still it was eerie. Then, the ocean just in front of the cliff face began to bubble and glow, as if there was a fire under the water's surface. To go with that image, the ocean began to steam. The ground began to rumble and shake, spooking the horses, who all snorted and shifted on their hooves. Alia tugged on the reins before leaning forward and patting Lyra's sweaty neck in an attempt to calm the mare.

However, she froze when she looked back toward the cliff face.

Smoke burst up from the sea, nearly concealing the split forming in the solid rock. Then, in a burst, a split in the ocean shot across the sea like an arrow, hitting the ground in front of the people with a rush of hot air.

When the steam cleared, it revealed a long path, the ocean split to form walls on either side, leading directly to the split in the cave wall.

"Come on! It won't stay open for long!" Cassim called, his horse already racing across the stretch of pebbled ground. His call disrupted the teenagers gaping, urging them into action.

They urged their horses into a fast gallop, Alia trying not to pay attention to the walls of clear ocean water on either side of her, and trying not to think of what would happen if they suddenly crashed down around her.

Cassim and Aladdin were the first to enter the cave, followed closely by Jay, Lonnie, Alia, and Shang. Within thirty seconds, the ocean came crashing back into place, the ground rumbling as the cliff closed up the crack again as if it had never been there.

Alia practically yanked back on the reins, urging Lyra to stop just before colliding with the backend of Lonnie's horse.

It was almost eerily silent again apart from everyone's heavy breathing and Alia's pounding heartbeat echoing in her ears. While catching her breath, Alia looked around, taking in the appearance of the former home of the Forty Thieves.

It almost looked like an ancient abandoned city. There were large staircases, enormous statues, buildings, and doorways.

"Whoa." Shang muttered, his horse stopping at Alia's side.

"We really shouldn't stay long." Cassim announced, dismounting his horse. "I'll just grab the scepter and we can get out of here. Shouldn't be more than five minutes."

"You kids wait here." Aladdin added, dismounting and following his father. "We should be safe here, but keep an eye out."

They all watched as the two disappeared around a corner.

"He realizes we're all adults, right?" Jay asked sarcastically.

"In his defense, they're both old. To them, a thirty year old is a kid." Alia joked, causing the others to snort or full out laugh.

"I heard that!" Aladdin's voice echoed loudly back at them, causing them to laugh harder.

It only took a couple minutes before Aladdin and Cassim returned, a familiar, cobra staff in Cassim's hand. Alia couldn't help swallowing, slightly nervous. It was her first time being in the presence of the powerful magical object that caused her family so much pain. Well, she saw it in the museum one time when her freshman class at Auradon Prep took a field trip, but that didn't really count in her mind.

"How are we going to carry it without it being obvious we have it?" Shang asked, eyeing the staff warily. "You know, in case we're being watched."

"Hopefully, like this." Aladdin answered, pulling a large blanket from the pack behind his horse saddle. He took the staff from his father, wrapped it completely in the blanket, and then put it back on his horse between his saddle bag and tent. It stuck out a little bit longer on each side than the rest, but it was completely concealed by the blanket. It would be difficult to really guess that they had a staff hidden in there. It just looked like a large, rolled up blanket or sleeping bag.

"And as we travel back, probably keep it in the middle of our group." Cassim suggested, mounting his horse once again. "So, you probably ride behind me or so, while the kids kind of travel in a semicircle behind us. As lookouts."

Alia, Lonnie, Jay, and Shang nodded in agreement, and the group set out once more, making the long trek back towards Agrabah. They stopped to eat and rest a little after noon, which was a relief because Alia's butt was going numb very quickly. They arrived back at the palace just before nightfall and hid the staff in a secure location.

**OoOoO**

**Sorry this probably wasn't as eventful as some of you thought it would be. I thought about just having Alia stay at home while the others went to the Cave, since I wasn't really planning on anything happening, but I also didn't want her to miss out. **

**But the next chapter will be eventful, I promise!**

**Review and let me know what you all thought, and any theories on what might happen next!**


	15. Chapter 15

Alia groaned, nearly yanking at her hair with her hands. She was sitting on her bed, trying to work on her Chemistry homework. "Trying" being the operative word. They arrived back at the palace over an hour ago, eating what some might call a feast that Jasmine had the cooks prepare. Then, everyone went their separate ways to relax or hang out or do whatever they decided to do. Considering the holiday weekend was almost over, Alia decided she should probably work on the homework due Monday that she neglected to start on.

She wasn't completely sure what everyone else was doing, but she could hear loud, boisterous cheering from the room next door to hers, so she figured Jay, Carlos, and maybe Shang were playing some videogame in Jay's room. Mal had actually left earlier that morning to briefly return to Ben's castle, and the two were due to return Sunday morning with a handful of the King's guards and Fairy Godmother to help protect the staff. She wasn't sure what Evie, Lonnie, and Jordan were doing, whether they were hanging out together or sleeping or something.

Alia sighed for what felt like the thousandth time. Even though she was feeling a little better, probably due to a couple days away from whatever was exposing her to the potion, she was still struggling with Chemistry. She figured it was a combination of her not liking or understanding the subject, and the crappy teacher. If she had a better teacher she probably wouldn't be bordering on failing the class.

Movement out of the corner of her eye caused Alia's already-distracted attention to leave her text book once again. Raisa was resting on a fuzzy carpet across the room. Alia had been convinced she was asleep, but now her head was raised and she was staring at the slightly open door.

Alia watched her for a moment. She opened her mouth to say something, but then Raisa stood up and trotted across the room to the door. She nudged the door open with her nose and stuck her head out. She stood absolutely still for a moment, and then she seemed to tense and crouch slightly, creeping into the hallway.

"Raisa?" Alia called quietly. The tiger didn't respond, so Alia climbed off her bed and quietly approached the doorway. She peaked out and down the hallway to see Raisa stalking silently yet swiftly down the hall, as if hunting prey.

Alia glanced back and forth down the hall, not seeing or hearing anyone else. Curious, she slipped out of her room, her bare feet silent against the cool stone floor as she followed her tiger down the hallway.

She soon had to pick up her pace, as Raisa moved swiftly through the palace. She nearly lost sight of her a couple times, but for the most part was able to easily keep up with the large animal. However, she had no clue what Raisa was actually following. She caught a couple glimpses of movement far ahead, like a brief flash of red, but that was about it.

They traveled for several minutes, rounding corners and going down staircases. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to their path, they seemed to be just wandering aimlessly through the palace.

Starting to get annoyed by this wild goose chase, Alia put on a short burst of speed as Raisa rounded a corner up ahead. Alia reached the corner just behind her and finally caught a decent look at the tiger's prey.

It was a parrot.

Beyond confused, Alia slowed her pace, walking more leisurely as she watched Raisa pick up her pace, actually running after the bird. A parrot? How did a parrot get into the palace? Where did it come from?

A noise pulled Alia from her thoughts and she finally realized where she was. To her right was a doorway, the door opened a crack. This was the room where they'd decided to hide the staff. It was one of the most well guarded places in the palace, near the center of the building, a floor beneath the ground floor with no access from windows or secret entrances. But she heard a noise from just inside the door, a noise she couldn't quite place.

Glancing down the hall to where her tiger had disappeared, Alia took a deep breath before hesitantly pushing the door open.

She immediately knew something was off. There was supposed to be a pair of guards just inside the door, but there was no one there. She debated going to get help, but she heard another sound and hesitantly moved further into the room.

She rounded a decorative wall that hid one side of the room, and stopped short when her foot bumped something. It was dark, but she could just make out what looked like two bodies.

Squatting quickly, she reached around until she was able to find one guard's head and found his pulse point under his jaw. Thankfully, there was a heartbeat. She leaned over and did the same with the other guard, who was also still alive.

Alia swallowed thickly, wondering what to do. She knew others would want her to go get help. But if someone was trying to steal the staff, shouldn't she do something?

Before she could make the decision, the lights flashed on, making her blink to get her vision to come back into focus. What she saw made her freeze. She slowly stood up straight, her eyes fixed straight ahead.

Across the room was where they'd put the staff, leaning it against the far wall. It was still there, but it was mostly covered from her view by a person. As Alia watched, the man picked up the staff, slowly turning around as he held up the staff, admiring it in his hands.

"You?!" Alia exclaimed in shocked disbelief.

The man smirked at her, his dark pencil mustache emphasizing the expression.

It was her science teacher _Mr. Price_.

"Hello, Princess Alia." he greeted her smoothly. "I was _so _hoping to run into you tonight."

"You-how-what are you doing here?" Alia stuttered, her brain still trying to catch up and wrap around the fact that her _Chemistry teacher _was in her home, seemingly trying to steal the staff.

"Ah, yes. I'm sure you're very confused." Mr. Price agreed mockingly. "Perhaps I can shed a little light on the subject."

And then, before Alia's very eyes, Mr. Price seemed to peel off a kind of second skin, and remove what was apparently a wig, revealing tan skin, thinning black hair, and dark, sinister eyes. Eyes that Alia knew instantly. Eyes that haunted every scary story of her childhood, and even haunted her dreams.

Jafar.

Alia instantly took a step back, planning to go for help. But Jafar merely raised his staff, causing the door to the room to slam shut behind her, closing off her escape.

"Now, now. You don't want to leave before the party gets started, do you?" Jafar asked mockingly.

Alia forced herself to take deep breaths, trying to remain calm and think rationally.

"So, this was your plan?" she asked, partially to buy some time. "Disguise yourself as my teacher, then steal the staff and, what, use me to get revenge on my parents? Because honestly, it's a little unoriginal. I mean, sure, my teacher, that kinda threw me, but can't you think of anything better than using Aladdin's daughter to get revenge?" she asked sarcastically.

Jafar chuckled slightly. "You have no idea the lengths I've gone to get this far, how long I've planned this out. You have no clue what I plan to do to you and your family. And thanks to Maleficent's moronic spawn, I'm free to do as I please, seeking revenge on everyone who wronged me, starting with your pathetic family."

"And you really think breaking into the palace to steal the staff is going to work out for you? I mean, you really think you're going to get out of here with that?" Alia asked, trying to sound casual and dubious of Jafar's abilities, when in reality she was hoping someone would show up and help her.

Jafar laughed again, as if he found her adorably stupid. "You and I both know no one in the area has the power to stop me while I have this." he told her, clutching his staff in both hands. "The only person who might have the power to beat me is that idiotic genie, but with this I can rise to the top." he grinned maniacally down at the staff. "But of course," he continued, regaining his composure, "It shouldn't come to that. If all goes according to plan, I'll be gone before anyone knows what's happening. I just need to secure my newest chess piece."

Alia's brow furrowed, confused and more wary than before.

"You know what this scepter can do?" he asked rhetorically. "I can use it to hypnotize people."

Alia took another step back, her hand going to the door knob behind her, but of course it wouldn't budge.

"Unfortunately, it only really works on the weak minded. I used it dozens of times on that simpering idiot, your grandfather. But I could never manage it with your mother. I figured, especially after our encounter on the Isle of the Lost, that you would be a similar issue. But I had a simple, though extensive, solution for that. The Minuere Potion."

Alia froze again. So, they'd been right. Jafar had somehow exposed her to the Minuere Potion.

"Being your teacher got me plenty of access. Once I found out which dorm room was yours, getting the potion into your water was easy. Every time you got a drink, showered, washed your hands in your dorm room, you were exposing yourself to the potion. The potion makes you physically and emotionally weaker. It breaks your will and weakens your mind, making it easier for me to use my scepter on you."

That was what they'd guessed, but to hear it confirmed was something else. But Alia forced herself to push her emotions to the side. She needed to keep him talking and hope that someone would show up and stop him.

"And what exactly do you plan to have me do?" she asked.

"Well, nothing too drastic at first." Jafar admitted, looking thoughtfully down at his staff. "But the basic goal is that I will rule Agrabah through you."

Alia forced down her horror. Honestly, she should have suspected that. "Aren't you forgetting someone? Jay and I will be ruling Agrabah _together_. Even if you hypnotize me, Jay will never let you take over. He'll know something's up and he'll stop you."

Jafar nodded thoughtfully. "True. That's why I chose to target you and not him. He'd recognize my tactics instantly. Which is why I'll have to get him out of the way." he added ominously, looking up at her again with sinister, dark eyes. "Or should I say, _you'll _have to get him out of the way."

He held the staff out, and the ruby eyes of the cobra glowed an eerie red, a dark sort of magic reaching out into Alia's mind.

**OoOoO**

**Anybody see that coming?! Did I shock everyone? I hope so. I figured Jafar was so obviously the villain that I needed to add some kind of shocking twist. And a cliffhanger rolled in, too.**

**Feel free to review and let me know what you all thought!**


	16. Chapter 16

A thunderous roar echoed through the halls of the Agrabah palace, startling most of it's occupants into wakefulness.

Jay jolted awake at the sound, clambering out of his bed and stumbling toward the door. He looked out in time to see Raisa bounding down the hall, but then he had to shake his head and do a double take. A red parrot was flying along after her, seemingly trying to peck at her head. It only took Jay half a second to recognize the bird, and what it meant.

Iago. Which meant Jafar was here.

Jay bolted back into his room, pulling on his shoes and grabbing a sword by his bed before bolting out into the hallway. He followed where Raisa was heading, trusting the tiger knew what was happening and where to go. Considering she was heading toward where they'd hidden the staff, it wasn't hard to guess.

"Jay!" Lonnie called as she and several others left their rooms on the way. "What's going on?"

"I think Jafar's going for the staff!" Jay called for anyone to hear. He thought he heard several footsteps following him, but it was hard to tell over the pounding of his own shoes and the beating of his heart in his ears.

He rounded another corner and slowed to a stop as he saw Alia walking out of a room. The same room they were hiding the staff in. She was dressed in her pajamas and barefooted, but she had a sword in her hand.

"'Lia?" Jay asked warily. "What are you doing here?"

"Hi, Jay. I was just checking on the scepter." she told him casually. "Everything's fine. You can go back to bed."

Jay narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he slowed to a stop. "I just saw Iago flying around. If he's here, Jafar is." he informed her. "I'd just like to check on the staff myself." he added, taking a step closer.

Alia mirrored him. "I just did. It's fine."

Taking a step forward each brought Jay close enough to see his twin's eyes. Instead of the dark brown that glimmered with mischief, her eyes were a glowing amber empty of emotion.

He instantly knew he was too late.

His grip on the sword tightened and he glanced toward the open doorway.

"Jafar. I know you're here. Get out here and face me like a man instead of hiding behind my sister like a coward." Jay called.

There was a moment of silence, during which Jay could hear the others approaching. He held a fist up by his head, silently telling everyone behind him to stop.

Then, Jafar stepped out of the room. He held the staff in his hand, and an evil smirk spread over his face as he met Jay's eyes. He casually stepped to Alia's side, though a step behind her so that she was between him and Jay. Iago and Raisa arrived, the parrot landing on Jafar's shoulder while Raisa stalked warily to Jay's side.

"Hello, Jason." Jafar greeted him smoothly.

"Let her go." Jay ordered tensely, knowing deep down that wasn't likely to happen. The only way that would happen was if someone else got hold of the staff, or Alia herself broke out of her hypnotic state.

Jafar sighed heavily, as if this wasn't going the way he'd wanted. "Well, I can see my plan isn't going to work." he admitted. "So I guess you'll all just have to die."

Jafar waved his staff around, shooting beams of red light from the cobra's ruby eyes. The light hit things around the hall like a vase, a seat, and a lantern. They all glowed red for a moment before they transformed into almost a dozen guards with swords.

Jay bent his knees slightly, ready to fight. Shang moved to his side, Aladdin on Jay's other side. He could feel several others lining up behind him. He was sure they'd be evenly match if it wasn't for Jafar's staff. But maybe Genie and Jordan's powers would even the odds?

"I hate to say this, but chances are we're not getting to Jafar without going through Alia." Jay muttered quickly for Shang and his father to hear.

Shang nodded once in agreement. "Who's got the best odds against Jafar with the scepter?"

"Maybe Genie or Jordan?" Jay suggested, glancing at his father while they conversed quietly and quickly.

Aladdin nodded once. "I'll tell them. You two focus on Alia. Everyone else will take care of these guards."

Jay and Shang nodded tensely. Of everyone, the two knew Alia's fighting better than anyone else. They'd both taught her, learned from her, and fought alongside her.

Aladdin gave the signal, and everyone raced forward like a wave. Several palace guards, Aladdin, Carlos, Cassim, Lonnie, Evie, Jordan, Genie, and even Jasmine, Carpet, Raisa, and Abu flew straight into the fight. Shang and Jay bolted to the side, moving around the thick of the battle that was quickly filling up the hallway, and trying to get closer to Alia.

She was ready for them, her sword slashing out like lightning as they lunged for her. She fought more like the old Alia as opposed to the tired attempts she made lately. So she seemed to have no issues taking on both Shang and Jay herself.

Jafar stood back, watching all of this calmly as his fingers stroked his scepter. Alia smoothly handled both Jay and her pesky boyfriend. His guards were fighting Aladdin and his pesky friends. Iago had flown from his shoulder and was currently in a pathetic wrestling match with Aladdin's little monkey.

He kept a particularly close watch on Alia, Genie, and the genie's little spawn. He was confident in his hypnosis, but it wouldn't hurt to keep a close eye on his little puppet. The two genies he kept an eye on because he knew they may be the biggest threats to him in the moment. Since both were free genies and not slaves, their magic and abilities were greatly reduced, so he could most likely defeat them, but he didn't want to be caught off guard. And when he was imprisoned on the Isle of the Lost, Jafar was stripped of his own genie powers, so he wouldn't be as evenly matched against them as he would have been.

Several feet away, in the middle of the fight, Aladdin ended up back to back with his father. Jasmine had retreated a few minutes ago to call for help. She was planning on calling King Ben, hoping him and Fairy Godmother could get here soon with Mal. That would at least tip the odds in their favor. Though they weren't scheduled to arrive until the morning, and the jet could only fly so fast.

"We have to clear the way for Genie." Aladdin called over the chaos. "Him and Jordan are the only ones with the magic that may be able to defeat Jafar."

Cassim nodded, swiping his sword out at the guard he was fighting. They'd noticed in moments that the guards Jafar had magically conjured were much better fighters than average guards.

Genie and Jordan were standing together, zapping Jafar's guards as they came at them. Unfortunately, their powers were only strong enough to temporarily slow the guards down, not fully stop them.

Putting his fingers to his lips, Genie let out a shrill whistle. He waved his hand high above his head. "Rugman!" he called.

Magic Carpet zoomed by, picking up both genies and soaring up over the battle. He zoomed toward the far end of the hallway, where Jafar was watching the fight from a safe distance. Jafar saw them coming and raised his staff.

A bolt of red energy shot from the snake's eyes, hitting Carpet. The shock sent Genie and Jordan tumbling to the ground while poor Carpet burnt and fell to the ground in a pile of ash.

"Carpet!" Aladdin called, briefly distracted in horror. The distraction got him hit in the side of the head with the hilt of a sword.

Across the hall, Iago got the upper hand on Abu. Sinking his talons into Abu's vest, he flew up and spun around, sending the monkey flying until he smacked into a marble column, dropping to the ground limply.

Jafar's eyes caught movement near the wall. It seemed Lonnie and Evie had been working together to get through the fighting. Both had swords and were mostly just trying to sneak through the fighting toward him. He also noticed Genie's daughter join them after her little tumble.

Evie grabbed Jordan's arm, pulling her close so the three girls could talk. "Jordan, we'll try to get you close to Jafar. Do you think you can get hold of the staff if we get you there?"

"Just get me there." Jordan answered grimly. She tried and failed to smirk. Carpet had been in her life since birth. She could only hope magic could bring him back.

The three girls continued on, not knowing Jafar was watching them closely. He doubted they were any real threat to him, but why risk letting his enemy have three extra against him?

Aiming his scepter, he shot a bolt of red energy at them. Lonnie had just began fighting one of his guards when the bolt actually hit Jafar's guard. It turned the man into a large hourglass reminiscent of the one he trapped Jasmine in all those years ago. But this time it trapped Lonnie, Evie, and Jordan inside.

The three girls looked around in bewilderment.

"You've gotta be _kidding_ me!" Lonnie exclaimed, slamming the hilt of her sword into the glass in frustration. It didn't do much, but sand began to trickle down from above. Lonnie and Evie both began slamming their swords into the glass, trying to break it while Jordan used some of her genie magic to form an umbrella, keeping the sand from falling directly on them.

At Lonnie's yell, Jay glanced over his shoulder and cursed. Not only were they losing numbers rather quickly, his girlfriend, who was one of their best fighters, was now trapped in a rapidly filling hourglass with two of his other friends. And Jordan was one of the only people who might stand a chance against Jafar's staff.

But Jay knew he had to focus on his own fight at the moment. Turning back to the fight, he went low while Shang went high. Alia merely back flipped out of range.

"Alia, come on. I know you're in there." Jay called, hoping to get through to her. Their main goal, obviously, was getting the staff away from Jafar. And then they could break his hold on Alia. But if they couldn't do that, they could hopefully shake Alia out of the hypnosis themselves, thus getting her back on their side. "You're stronger than him, Sis. You can break out of this."

"Maybe I don't want to." Alia answered. It was her voice, but it was almost dull, lacking any real emotion. "With you out of the way, I can rule Agrabah myself."

"But it wouldn't be you ruling Agrabah." Shang pointed out even as he swung his sword at her head. She blocked it easily. "You would be Jafar's little puppet. Is that really what you want, Alia? I thought you were stronger than that. The Alia I know wouldn't take orders from anyone."

If the challenge was supposed to make her angry, it didn't seem to work. She just continued to fight, lacking any emotion.

"Jay, see if you can help one of the others." Shang suggested.

"What?" Jay asked, though neither paused in their fighting.

"Help the others. Try to break out the girls, or help Genie get closer to Jafar. I've got this." Shang ordered.

Jay glanced at him. He wasn't sure he wanted to do that, but one look at Shang's determined face and he decided to trust the older guy. So, he rushed over to help Genie. He knew if he tried to help break the girls out Lonnie would chew him out, claiming she had it covered.

"Alia, don't make me do this." Shang asked her as they continued fighting. "I don't want to do it like this."

Alia didn't respond. In her hypnotized state, he wasn't even sure she understood him.

"I've been trying to tell you the past few days." Shang continued. "I think I would have told you sooner if we weren't fighting the past couple months. I don't want to tell you now, like this. But I'm hoping it'll knock you out of this."

He was almost rambling. He just really didn't want to tell her like this.

"Alia, I l-"

A loud yell interrupted him, causing all fighting to pause. Alia and Shang both froze, looking over to where Jafar stood.

He had his scepter aimed forward. Jay was before him, on his knees with his sword a few feet away on the ground. Rings of red energy from the scepter surrounded his chest, arms, and neck, making it clear he wasn't moving.

"Everyone, lower your weapons and surrender," Jafar ordered, "or Jay dies."

**OoOoO**

**Dun dun DUUUUUUNN! Cliffhanger! What's going to happen?!**

**I hope everyone liked the fight and got real **_**Aladdin **_**vibes.**

**Anyone have any idea what Shang has been trying to tell Alia? Any guesses on what's going to happen next?**

**Please review and let me know what you think!**


	17. Chapter 17

Everyone stood frozen, staring at the scene before them. Jafar had his staff aimed at Jay, who was defenseless on his knees, the power of the staff keeping him from moving. With so much as a snap of his fingers, Jafar could kill him with no problems.

Everyone glanced among themselves, unsure of what to do.

"I said surrender." Jafar repeated. "Drop your weapons, and don't even think of trying any magic," he added pointedly to Genie nearby, "or I will kill him."

Everyone once again exchanged glances, waiting for someone else to make the call. Finally, Aladdin, who was in the thick of the fight with blood trickling from his temple, tossed his sword to the ground with a clang. The sound echoed as everyone followed his lead. Raisa growled low in her throat, amber eyes fixed on Jafar.

"That tiger moves, and she'll die, too." Jafar added casually.

Aladdin reached out and rested his hand on the tiger's back, hoping to calm her down.

"Alia, why don't you join me." Jafar suggested casually.

Alia turned her back on Shang and strolled casually to Jafar's side, looking straight ahead like a good little soldier.

"This all could have gone so much smoother." Jafar spoke, shaking his head as if disappointed. "I was only going to hypnotize Alia, have her dispose of Jay, and rule Agrabah. Nothing wrong with that. But since you all know, now you all have to die." He raised his staff, his gaze sliding over the assembled group. "Who wants to go first?"

No one spoke, a tense silence covering the room. Jafar's eyes landed on Aladdin.

"You know, I think I'll make you go last." he told the Sultan. "So you can watch everyone you love die while you're helpless to save them."

He then lowered his staff so it was inches from Jay's nose.

"And I think I'll take your son from you first, just like I did 18 years ago."

The rubies of the cobra's eyes glowed red, as if powering up for the final strike.

Then, the staff was suddenly twisted from Jafar's hand. In half a second, one end came up to slam into the back of his head, knocking him to the ground.

Everyone stared in shock.

Alia stood over Jafar, who gaped up at her while she glared down at him. She didn't hold the staff as if to shoot magic, she held it ready to bash him in the head again if she needed to.

"Wh-how-how did-?" Jafar stuttered.

"_Never _threaten my brother, or my family, ever again." Alia ordered tensely, glaring down at him. "Or a hit to your head will be the least of your worries."

Jay stood up, no longer contained by the staff's magic. He stared at his sister in shock for a moment before yanking her into a hug.

"How did you break free? When?" he demanded. Genie hurried over and, after giving Alia a hug, he took the staff from her and began setting things right.

"When he first threatened to kill you." Alia answered. "I knew I had to play along for a couple more minutes, to get close enough to him to get the staff."

"Well, maybe don't cut it so close next time, okay?" Jay laughed, hugging her again.

"Wow, no 'thanks for saving my life'?" Alia joked. "You're welcome."

Jay laughed, turning away and heading over towards where Genie was using the staff to get rid of the hourglass to let the girls out. Genie had already used some genie magic to cuff Jafar, and all Aladdin's guards were watching the villain.

Shang hurried over to Alia, hugging her tightly. "Alia, I-"

"I love you." Alia cut him off before cupping the back of his head with her hands and pulling him down into a kiss. After a second of shock, Shang returned it eagerly, threading his fingers into her hair and wrapping an arm around her waist.

After several moments, when both are struggling to breathe, they pulled away and rested their foreheads against each other's.

"I love you, too." Shang returned the sentiment. "So, does that mean you knew I was trying to tell you? During the fight before it ended?"

Alia smirked slightly, her eyes glimmering mischievously. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Mal, Ben, and Fairy Godmother arrived a few hours later by royal jet. They kept Jafar and Iago locked up in the palace dungeon in the meantime, using magic from Jafar's staff and Genie to keep them safely locked up. When the others arrived, Fairy Godmother added her own enchantments from her wand to ensure Jafar wouldn't be escaping. She also used her wand to bring Carpet back like he was new, and she healed Abu, who luckily wasn't injured too badly.

Sunday was largely spent discussing what should be done now, not just with Jafar but with any criminal or villain in the future. They obviously didn't want to repeat history by creating a new Isle of the Lost. Aladdin sat down in a meeting with not only Fairy Godmother and King Ben, but also several others. Mal, of course, sat in as future Queen, and she insisted on the other original VKs; Jay, Evie, and Carlos sitting in. From there, it turned into multiple larger meetings. Genie joined most of them, as he was personally involved with Jafar's attacks. Aladdin also insisted on Alia sitting in, since she was personally involved, Jay was sitting in, and she was the future Sultana. They also ended up calling in several other leaders from around Auradon like Fa Mulan and Li Shang Sr., King Triton, Hercules, Elsa, Rapunzel, Merlin, and several others.

After much discussion and debate that lasted well into the evening, they finally came to an agreement, which King Ben planned on announcing to all of Auradon the next morning. They decided that they would begin work on multiple prisons and dungeons. Most castles and kingdoms already had dungeons that they weren't using, so they just needed to be updated and fixed up. Then, several magical members of Auradon would add their own protective enchantments and spells to the dungeons to ensure any magical prisoners wouldn't be able to escape, like they did with Jafar in the dungeon.

Considering how eventful the weekend was, it was decided Jay and Alia could take an extra day at home and return to school Monday evening, in time to get back for Tuesday classes. Carlos was flown back to Auradon City so he could resume classes Monday morning, but Lonnie, Jordan, Mal, Evie, and Ben stayed the night in the Agrabah palace Sunday so Ben could give his announcement on site Monday morning. It gave Mal, Evie, Lonnie, Jordan, and Alia the chance to have a proper sleepover that they hadn't had in ages.

They talked about wedding plans, Jordan's travels, Lonnie's matches. Alia finally told them all, in detail, everything the potion had done to her. She told them about the irrational feelings of anger, the jealousy she felt toward Lonnie, Shang, and Jay when she saw how their teams accepted them so easily. She told them about the horrible nightmares where she killed her friends and family, and how part of her was numb to the horrible things she did. She expected them to be horrified, or scared of her. But they were all sympathetic. Mal especially seemed to understand better than the others, and assured Alia that the nightmares didn't make her a horrible person.

Most of their friends left on Monday, leaving Jay and Alia to take the small family jet back to their schools. Alia hugged her whole family goodbye before moving off to the side with Shang. She noticed Jay did the same with Lonnie.

"So, you're going to keep in touch this time, right?" Shang teased when they were out of earshot.

Alia rolled her eyes slightly. "I suppose I could try." she answered playfully. "But really, I will do better this time at keeping you posted on what's going on." she added more seriously. She planned on spending the next few months focusing on school, as well as her physical and emotional health. But she knew she wouldn't be able to do that alone. She would need her friends and family on occasion, which included Shang.

Shang nodded. "Good. And if you start feeling stressed or anything, let me know. I want to be able to help you when I can. Which also means," he added, grinning once again, "you need to send me your Swords schedule so I can see if I can come to any of your meets. I wanna see you whoop some pampered prince's butt."

Alia laughed. "I will keep that in mind."

Her laughter was cut off by Shang hooking an arm behind her lower back, pulling her close so he could swoop down and kiss her.

After several moments, a voice called, "Break it up already! That's my sister!"

They pulled away, Alia ducking her head slightly in embarrassment while Shang scowled over at Jay. "You've got no room to talk, dude. That's _my _sister." he exclaimed, nodding toward Lonnie where she stood next to Jay.

They finished their goodbyes and boarded the plane, both siblings taking seats across from each other in chairs at the same small table. Jay stopped by the mini fridge before sitting down, grabbing a couple cans of soda.

Jay sighed as he plopped down in the chair, popping the tab on the pop can. "So much for a long, relaxing weekend away from school, huh? Now we're back to studying, homework, and practice."

Alia sighed in return, holding the can between her hands on the table. "Yeah, but at least we got an extra day. Of course, that might make people more curious when I finally show up to class and practice." she admitted.

"You sure you're gonna be okay going back to school?" Jay asked worriedly.

Alia gave him a small smile. "I'll be fine, Jay. I already feel a lot better without being exposed to the potion, more like my old self. I'm not saying school's going to automatically be ten times better, but I think it'll be a bit easier without the potion dragging me down."

Jay nodded slowly. "Okay. But you'll tell me, right? You'll talk to me if you need to? I mean it, even if you have an emotional breakdown at three in the morning, call me." he insisted.

Alia chuckled slightly, but nodded in agreement. "I promise, Jay. I'll let you know if I need help."

"Any kind of help." Jay reiterated. "Any at all. If you have another nightmare; even if it's a normal, non-potion-related nightmare."

Alia rolled her eyes, but grinned fondly at her brother. "If you insist. I'm sure you'll get sick of me."

Jay smirked. "I'm always sick of you. But I'm a glutton for punishment, it seems."

Alia laughed, leaning back in her seat before taking a sip of her drink.

"So, when do you think we'll get a rematch?" Jay asked, still smirking.

Alia eyed him curiously. "What are you talking about now?"

"Swords. I don't think we have another meet against each other's schools, unless we both make it to the championships." Jay explained. "Think you'll beat me like you always do?"

Alia smirked, rolling her eyes. "Please. You're so going down."

It wasn't too long before the jet dropped Jay off at Sherwood Forest, and then Alia at Triton's Bay.

Alia went through Tuesday as she would any other day of the week since she started college. She tried to ignore the occasional stare, considering her name was mentioned Monday morning when King Ben told Auradon what happened in Agrabah. A few people approached her, but she just politely parroted what Ben said on the news, briefly confirming that she was indeed the one who took Jafar out.

For the most part, she got through the day without gaining a lot of attention. Her Chemistry class was cancelled while they tried to find a new teacher on such short notice. Alia hoped their new teacher actually knew how to teach.

When it was time for Sword practice, Alia changed into her workout clothes and entered the gym like any other day. She pulled her gloves onto her hands as she entered the gym, but when she glanced up she slowed down hesitantly.

Instead of people stretching or beginning to practice, everyone already in the gym seemed to have paused in their activities to stare at her. It looked like the whole team was already there, watching her walk in. She glanced from one person to the next, unable to really read their expressions.

"Yes?" she asked warily when no one spoke for several moments.

Dominic was the first to actually approach her, his expression pretty much the same friendly, though curious, expression he usually wore.

"Hey, so,…" he started awkwardly, "is it true? King Ben said that…that you pretty much took out Jafar?"

"Yeah. So?" Alia asked, still unnerved by all the staring.

"Is it true you bashed him in the head with his own scepter?" William Darling asked, his wide blue eyes eager for a story.

Alia blinked. That definitely hadn't been in Ben's statement. Then again, a lot of people seemed to know more than what Ben announced. That just seemed to be how Auradon worked. "Yes, that is true." she admitted.

"That's…awesome." Hunter finally exclaimed, holding up a hand for a high-five, which Alia granted, baffled.

A few others came over and congratulated Alia, or demanded answers, wanting her to give them a play-by-play of the battle. Even Elliot and Amir were eager to hear the story.

"Alright, break it up!" Harvey called out. "We've still got to practice. We've got a meet against Arendelle in two days. Pair up."

Everyone did as told, spreading out in pairs around the gym. Alia sighed, preparing to work alone when Harvey approached her.

"Wanna partner up?" he offered casually.

Alia blinked. "Sure." she answered as casually as she could in her surprise. They approached the stack of swords near the wall and Alia leaned down to grab one.

"Has your shirt always said that?" Harvey asked, sounding mildly amused.

Alia turned in confusion, looking down at her shirt. It was her _SHANG LIFE _t-shirt. "What? This?"

Harvey snorted, approaching her. He lightly grabbed the side of her shirt under her arm and tugged it around so she could see a section on the left back side of the shirt. "No. This."

Alia pulled it around more, trying to see what was written. In what looked like scrawled handwriting written in black marker read the words:

_Shang's girlfriend_

_Hands and eyes off_

Alia gaped for a moment before laughing slightly. "Oh, he is so going to get it." she laughed, unable to really be mad.

**OoOoO**

**I can't remember exactly which of Alia's teammates I've already revealed the parents of. I know I already announced Harvey is Prince Hans' nephew, Elliot is Elsa's son, Amir is Prince Achmed's son, and Dominic is Doc's son. The others I think I've named are Aaron, the son of King Arthur from **_**The Sword in the Stone**_**, William, the son of Wendy from **_**Peter Pan**_**, and Hunter, the son of the Huntsman from **_**Snow White**_**. I know as far as numbers go, there's at least one more guy on the team, but I ran out of character ideas.**

**Anyway, I posted this early for the holiday, so just consider this my Christmas present to all of you. There's only a couple chapters left, unfortunately.**

**Merry Christmas! Let me know what you all thought of this chapter!**


	18. Chapter 18

It took every ounce of Alia's princess training to walk with perfect poise in front of so many eyes. She walked down the narrow isle until she reached the raised dais in the center of the Auradon Cathedral. She exchanged smiles with Jay and Carlos, who stood across from her, before they all turned to watch the front door. Evie was just entering the cathedral and walking the same path Alia had.

Evie reached Alia's side, and then Mal was entering the cathedral.

In one hand, Mal held a bouquet of purple roses and golden sundrop flowers from Corona. Her other hand was hooked around Hades' arm as her father walked her down the isle. Alia would have been shocked to see how _proud _the God of the Underworld actually looked walking his daughter down the isle, but she saw enough at the rehearsal dinner the other night to know that he truly loved Mal.

And Mal looked absolutely radiant on her wedding day. Her blue-purple hair was lightly curled with the front sections pinned back, her tiara atop her head. Her gown was a light blue-purple a few shades lighter than her hair, and it was sleeveless with a tight bodice. There was a dragon stitched into the skirt that wove around until it wrapped around her waist, giving it a belt look. She also had a long, purple lace cape that trailed behind her with blue flame designs.

Alia glanced away from the bride and up the dais. Ben was standing up there with Fairy Godmother, who was officiating. The King looked awestruck at the sight of his bride.

It was a beautiful wedding, and Alia was thrilled for her friends.

When all was said and done, several people followed the bride and groom in limos to Ben's castle. Most people who attended the wedding weren't invited to the reception at the castle. As it was the King and now-Queen's wedding, nearly all of Auradon wanted to see it. So there were hundreds of people both inside and outside of the Cathedral, and more than a couple news crews filming it live. However, only friends and family were invited to the reception.

Alia rode in a limo with the rest of the wedding party, which was just Evie, Jay, and Carlos. But she also spent a good portion of the reception with her parents, Genie, both her grandfathers, Lonnie, Jordan, Jane, and, of course, Shang. She even got dragged into an uncomfortable conversation with Harry Hook, who tried to flirt with her. Thankfully, Uma of all people saved her by punching Harry in the arm and dragging him off.

Lonnie and Jordan in particular kept teasing Alia that it was her turn next; getting married. Alia turned it around saying that technically Lonnie and Jay had been dating for longer than Alia and Shang. About ten minutes longer, but that was besides the point.

Mal and Ben shared their first dance as a married couple to a slow rendition of 'Did I Mention', the song Ben sang to Mal, and the same one he used to propose to her.

When 'A Whole New World' started playing, Shang practically dragged Alia onto the dance floor.

It had been a relatively fast four months since they defeated Jafar. Alia was doing much better in school than the first few months, now that she wasn't exposed to Jafar's potion. When the new semester started, Alia took one less class than she did before, which helped a lot. And not to say she lead her Swords team to victory, but they made it to the state championships, only to unfortunately be beaten by Sherwood Forest. It was a good thing Jay and Alia only had friendly competition between them. However, despite Sherwood winning, Alia beat Jay in their one-on-one match, which she would hold over his head for the rest of their lives.

Alia's parents left after the ceremony, needing to get back to Agrabah to work on some construction issue that came up regarding the dungeons. They were almost done, as were the several prisons going up around Auradon.

Several towns volunteered to put up prisons, but it was decided to put a few higher security prisons all around Auradon, and a few with lesser defenses for non-magical villains. The higher security prisons were in more isolated places in Auradon, like Neverland, Atlantica, and Olympus. They were protected by magic provided by Tinkerbelle and her fairies; Zeus, Hades, and the Greek Gods; King Triton; Fairy Godmother, and Mal. And, of course, they all had their own natural defenses. Neverland was an island surrounded by crocodiles, Olympus was up on a mountain high above the rest of Auradon, and of course Atlantica was deep under the sea. There weren't very many prisoners who would be able to be held in Atlantica, but it was a good idea to have it available nonetheless. And it would be a good place to hide important objects if they can be held underwater, as not very many people would be able to get them back.

There were a few smaller prisons, as well, though they didn't lack different forms of protection, magical and otherwise. Elsa of Arendelle created what looked like a large, ice building on the outskirts of her kingdom. In reality, inside was filled with about a dozen cells that were guarded by large snow creatures. She also accepted help from the wizard Merlin and Genie to add some extra protective enchantments.

So far, only a few villains had returned to their roots, forcing King Ben to make the difficult choice of locking them back up. Out of pride, Aladdin and his family almost decided to keep Jafar locked up in their own dungeon in Agrabah, but then they decided it was just too risky. Jafar knew their palace like the back of his hand, even though it had been renovated. In the end, Jafar and Iago were shipped off to Mount Olympus, where Hades himself promised to keep a close eye on him.

With all the negativity of discussing prisons and locking people up, Alia and Jay at one point discussed wanting to do something actually _good _for all the people who were released from the Isle. Jay ended up commenting that Gil, who he'd gone on a couple trips with, had next to no education, and now had no means or money to get an education. So, they approached their parents with the idea of offering scholarships for kids from the Isle to go to school. So, they did. And it started a wave of people from all over Auradon doing the same or something similar.

Fairy Godmother offered a scholarship to Auradon Prep for magical students. Belle offered a scholarship for younger children who joined a book club. Rapunzel offered an art scholarship. Evie offered an internship at her business for kids to learn basic business skills. The list goes on. And Jay talked about wanting to start some community centers at some point; just safe places for kids to go to play sports and get homework help while having positive influences in their lives.

Alia didn't leave the wedding reception until near the end, around midnight. Her, Jay, Lonnie, and Shang all got in a limo that took them to a small airstrip, where they would take Aladdin's family jet back to Agrabah.

"So, how long do you think it'll be before Doug proposes to Evie?" Lonnie asked as they all lounged in the small jet.

"Hard to say." Jay answered thoughtfully, leaning back on the couch, his arm draped over Lonnie's shoulders. "On the one hand, they've been together almost as long as Mal and Ben. And they've got the whole "true love" thing going for them. But Doug might be so chicken Evie will have to propose to _him_."

"Oh, leave him alone." Alia scolded her brother while Lonnie and Shang laughed. Alia was laying out on another couch, having changed out of her bridesmaid dress and into comfy clothes. Shang was rubbing her feet because she mentioned earlier that wearing heels all evening was killing her.

"On the one hand, they dated, what, two years before they finally said 'I love you'. And they only really said it after the whole " true love's kiss" thing. On the other hand, they moved in together before they said it." Lonnie noted out loud. "So it could be anytime from now to five years from now before they get to that step."

"Everyone moves at their own pace." Alia defended, glancing down toward Shang, who smirked slightly.

"And what pace are you moving at, Miss-Caught-The-Bouquet?" Jay asked teasingly.

Alia blushed while the others chuckled. At the end of the night, all the women and girls at the reception gathered around so Mal could throw the bouquet. Alia had joined the crowd, but more because her friends dragged her out there. She didn't see the point in catching the bouquet, it was just a silly tradition.

However, just as Mal tossed the flowers over her shoulder, something bumped Alia's hip, causing her to stumble just enough to the side that the flowers ended up in her outstretched hands.

"I don't know. What pace are _you _moving at, Jason?" Alia countered.

Jay shrugged. "Guess that depends how the rest of spring break goes."

Lonnie and Alia exchanged confused looks before both demanded to know what he was talking about. He merely smirked and pleaded the fifth, refusing to say a word on the subject. Alia honestly wasn't sure if that was his way of hinting that he planned on proposing to Lonnie this week, or if he was just messing with them. She wouldn't put it past him.

Most schools were on spring break, so Jay and Alia were home for the week. They planned on attending one of Shang and Lonnie's Swords meets in a few days, but for the most part they were just relaxing at home, hanging out with family and friends. Lonnie and Shang were spending a couple days in Agrabah to catch up with them.

When they finally reached the Agrabah palace, they were surprised when a guard greeted them almost as soon as they entered the building.

He bowed to Jay and Alia before turning to the princess. "Your Highness, Sultana Jasmine told me to get you as soon as you returned. She's with your tiger in your room."

Alia's eyes widened before she dropped her bag on the floor and raced through the palace toward her room. She slowed when she neared her bedroom door, peaking inside so as not to startle anyone.

Jasmine looked up when she heard the creak of the door. She smiled.

"Alia. Come on in. She's almost done." Jasmine called softly.

Alia entered the room, crossing it to the little nest in the corner near her bed. A couple weeks ago, Raisa started preparing a little nest-like area in Alia's room near her bed, even going so far as to drag one of Alia's fuzzy rugs across the room to use. Now, she was sprawled out on her side in the bed she'd made, and Alia could hear what almost sounded like little piglets.

Raisa lifted her head and started purring as Alia knelt next to her mother, stroking her beloved tiger's head while looking down at the little wiggling bundles nursing against Raisa's belly.

There were three baby tigers, all fluffy and orange with thin, black stripes. They were about the size of Raisa's paws.

"They're so little." she breathed, amazed by the sight. She'd seen Raisa when she was a baby, but never at this young age.

"And there's one more coming." Jasmine answered just as a sort of wave rolled through Raisa's body. A moment later, a tiny cry sounded from near her tail. Raisa pulled herself up and a moment later, she gently placed a tiny cub from her mouth to the curve of her belly, licking it clean while it cried.

A few moments later, the newborn was feeding among it's siblings.

Jasmine ran her hand over Raisa's side. "Looks like she's done. Four healthy little cubs. I'll call the vet and have him come by in the morning to check."

Jasmine left the room, letting the others trickle in to see the new arrivals.

"Look how cute they are!" Alia squealed quietly as Jay, Lonnie, and Shang approached.

"What are they? Boy or girls?" Jay asked, kneeling next to her with Abu on his shoulder.

"I don't want to disturb them." Alia argued. "They're eating."

After waiting for them to finish feeding, Alia carefully picked up each little cub and checked what they were. There were two boys and two girls.

Alia, Jay, Lonnie, and Shang sat with Raisa and her new family for a while, discussing names for the cubs. They decided to stick with names that start with 'R', like Raisa and her father, Rajah. Alia knew the conservation program Raisa and her father before her were part of did the same thing to keep family lines straight.

They decided on naming the girls Rani and Rose. Jay named one of the boys River.

Alia picked up the last of the litter, the tiny little boy that was born after she arrived. He was smaller than the others, the runt of the litter. All the cubs were about the size of Raisa's paw, but this little one was so small Alia could hold him with one hand. She carefully held him up near her face. He had a tiny pink nose and his eyes were shut tight, little specks of black dappling his head to form a unique pattern of stripes from his siblings.

She smiled, knowing what she wanted to name this little one.

"I'm naming him Rajah." she decided quietly, lowering him to cradle him to her chest for a moment.

Jay smiled, silently wishing he'd had the chance to know their mother's tiger. "Sounds good."

Alia nodded, gently setting the cub back in Raisa's little nest so he could sleep with his brother and sisters. Raisa sat up to sniff all her babies for a moment before laying back down again to rest.

"I'm gonna go let Mom and Dad know." Jay decided, standing up carefully so as not to disturb the new family. Lonnie stood up and followed him, leaving Shang and Alia alone. They both moved back to sit with their backs against the side of the bed.

Alia sighed heavily, leaning her head against Shang's shoulder tiredly as she watched the sleeping family of tigers. Shang shifted slightly so he could slip his arm behind her, snuggling her into his side.

"Tired?" he asked quietly.

"Mhm." Alia mumbled sleepily. It'd been a long day. They'd flown down to Auradon City yesterday to set up the wedding and have the rehearsal dinner. They then spent the morning finishing last minute wedding preparations before the big event. Overall, Alia was exhausted. She couldn't imagine how tired Mal and Evie were, as the bride and maid of honor.

Alia almost felt like she could doze off right there when something rustled the bed sheets behind her head. She blinked open her eyes and looked over her shoulder. Abu was sitting just behind her shoulder on the bed, prying at something in his little hands. When he saw her looking at him, he instantly held the object out to her, chittering excitedly. Brows furrowed curiously, Alia reached her hand over her shoulder to take the small object from the monkey.

It looked like a black ring box.

"Oh! That-" Shang's hand shot out as if to snatch the box from her hands before drawing back, raking said hand through his hair and looking away uncomfortably. He then briefly patted his pockets before glaring over his shoulder at Abu.

Alia glanced between the box and her boyfriend. "Did Abu steal this from you?" she asked, her tired brain a bit slower than normal.

Shang cleared his throat uncomfortably, glancing at her. "Um, yeah. That was in my pants pocket." he admitted. He was still wearing his red dress shirt and black pants, having shed his black suit jacket earlier in the evening.

Alia offered the box back to him, and he hesitated for a moment before taking it back and looking down at it. He seemed to be thinking something over.

"How tired are you?" he asked after a moment, looking over at her again.

Alia blinked, forcing herself to sit up straight. She was becoming more awake by the moment, sensing something was going on. She'd never seen Shang this uncomfortable before. It worried her.

"I'm awake." she assured him, crossing her legs and turning to face him more.

Shang's lips quirked up slightly in a smile before looking down at the box in his hands. He then turned to mirror her position.

"I've had this in my pocket for the past couple days, trying to decide when would be the best time to do this." Shang admitted, holding the small box in his hands on his lap. "I thought today would be good, with the wedding and reception and all. But then it got late, and I figured I could do it at our Swords meet in a few days."

"What are you talking about?" Alia asked slowly.

Shang took a deep breath before tearing his eyes from the small box to look Alia in the eyes.

"You've had my back pretty much since we met years ago, and I've had yours. Both in a fight and just life in general. I trust you, I love you, and I want to be by your side for the rest of our lives. So, Alia, will you marry me?"

He leaned forward slightly, holding the box in his hands so he could open it. Nestled inside the small box was a ring with an infinity band and two gems, one purple and one red, side-by-side on top.

Alia gaped wordlessly at the ring for a moment, completely in shock. Her lack of an answer seemed to make Shang slightly nervous.

"We don't have to get married anytime soon." he told her quietly. "I mean, we'd probably want to at least wait until you graduate. But-"

"Yes." Alia cut him off, finally getting over the shock. "Of course I'll marry you." she answered eagerly, nodding her head.

Shang laughed in relief, taking the ring from the box and slipping it onto Alia's finger. As soon as it was in place, Alia wrapped her arms tightly around Shang's neck while he held her close. After a few moments, Shang pulled back enough to kiss her excitedly.

"Jeez, save it for the wedding." a familiar voice complained.

Alia and Shang pulled away from each other, both trying to glower toward the doorway. But it was hard to do when they couldn't seem to stop smiling. Jay and Lonnie were peaking into the room. Jay was smirking slightly while Lonnie was beaming excitedly, bouncing in place on her toes.

Unable to contain herself for another moment, Lonnie bounced into the room and practically tackled Alia in a hug, almost causing the two girls to topple right into Shang, who laughed while holding the two girls up.

"Oh my gosh!" Lonnie nearly squealed, squeezing all the air out of Alia lungs in a hug. "I'm finally going to get a sister! I can't wait!"

Alia laughed, glancing over Lonnie's shoulder in time to see Jay roll his eyes, grinning in amusement.

When Lonnie finally released Alia, she turned to look over her shoulder. "You knew my brother was going to propose! Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded.

"Yeah, like you'd be able to keep it a secret." Jay laughed, entering the room.

"Why did you know?" Alia asked curiously, glancing from her brother to Shang.

Shang grinned, giving a shrug. "I asked your dad and brother for permission a few weeks ago."

"And…_you _said yes?" Alia asked her brother in disbelief.

Jay rolled his eyes at her. "'Lia, as much of a fuss as I've made about you two dating, I respect Shang and I know how good he's been for you. He treats you like an equal instead of a delicate princess, which is hard to come by in Auradon. Besides, most of the times I've complained and made a fuss about your PDA, I was just messing with you."

Alia rolled her eyes, but warmth spread through her chest knowing her family accepted Shang so warmly. And she knew before long, they would all accept Lonnie into the family just as openly.

They were all one big family. Not just Alia, Jay, and their parents, but also Lonnie and Shang, and Mal, Ben, Evie, Doug, Carlos, and Jane, and Genie, Jordan, and both Alia's grandfathers. They would always have each others backs, no matter what they went through.

**OoOoO**

**I'm sad to say, we're near the end. After this is the epilogue, which is set about ten years later. I'll probably post it around New Years unless something comes up.**

**I hope everyone liked how this chapter went. Please review and let me know what you thought! I love hearing from you!**


	19. Epilogue

Jay sighed, his knee bouncing agitatedly in the uncomfortable plastic chair as he waited for some kind of news. He shouldn't be worried, everything was going fine, but he couldn't seem to help it.

"Jay." Lonnie walked up to him with his mom, each woman holding a child on their hips. The two kids could have passed for siblings, they looked so similar. The four year old boy Jasmine was carrying had similar tan skin, thick eyebrows, and narrow eyes as the one year old Lonnie was carrying.

Jay grinned tiredly, sitting up straight as two of the most important women in his life approached him.

"Dada!" the little girl in Lonnie's arms beamed at him, stretching her little arms out. Jay took her from his wife, holding her in his lap as Lonnie and Jasmine sat on either side of him.

"Any news yet?" Jasmine asked curiously, sitting with the little boy on her lap.

Jay shook his head. "Not yet, but I haven't been here long. I checked in when I got here. They said it shouldn't be too long."

"She'll be fine. She's done it before." Lonnie assured him. "Jay, it's almost noon." she reminded him.

"Right." Jay sighed, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. He quickly called one of the community centers he'd started in Agrabah several years ago. Him and Alia were supposed to go down there for a visit and help out with some volunteer work. He told them he was sorry, but they wouldn't be able to make it as something came up with the family. They understood, but Jay promised they would plan something else to do in a few weeks.

"Were the kids disappointed?" Jasmine asked sympathetically when he ended the call.

"Probably." Jay admitted. "I was planning on coaching a small tourney game with some of the younger kids. But this is more important." he said firmly, smiling down at his daughter Layla, who was playing with his sleeve.

Another hand reached over and poked his hand, causing Jay to look at his nephew.

"Uncle Jay, when do I get to see my Mommy and Daddy?" he asked.

"Not sure yet, Shay. It might be a little while." Jay admitted. Shay was Alia and Shang's son. His real name was Li Shang III, after his father and grandfather, but they nicknamed him Shay since there were too many Shangs in the family to keep straight.

"But Aunt Jane and Uncle Carlos will be coming over for a visit tomorrow with Cameron." Lonnie told him, leaning forward slightly to smile at Shay from around her husband and daughter. "I called them as soon as I called off practice." she added to Jay. She'd retired as a professional Swords player about five years ago, a year after her and Jay got married, and actually became the Coach of the Great Wall team.

Jay and Alia had been returning to the palace from a meeting with Rapunzel of Corona regarding their imports when Alia's water broke. Jay had immediately ordered the jet to take them to the Agrabah hospital and called Shang to let him know to meet them there. Having retired as a professional Swords player several years ago like his sister, Shang had become one of the Agrabah soldiers, easily working his way up to a Captain. He'd been in the middle of training some of the new recruits when Jay called him and immediately rushed to meet them at the hospital.

Jay nodded. "Great. Thanks. I called Mal and told her and Ben. They have a couple meetings they need to take care of, but then they're flying up in a couple days with Bailey." Princess Bailey was Ben and Mal's daughter, who was six years old already. They were thinking about having another one, since Ben and Mal were both only children and wanted their daughter to have a sibling. "Oh, and Evie and Doug are on their way, but…Evie is insisting they drive."

Lonnie gave him a look of disbelief. "They're going to drive all the way from Auradon City to Agrabah?" she asked. "That's at least a two day drive, maybe three."

"Yeah, but apparently Evie didn't want to fly in a plane when she's 26 weeks pregnant." Jay answered with a shrug, letting Layla snuggle into his chest.

"That's…going to be a very uncomfortable car ride." Lonnie summed up, nodding her head.

"Sultan Jay?" a doctor asked, entering the waiting room. Everyone stood up, Jay and Jasmine both holding the kids. The doctor bowed slightly to both Jay and Jasmine, as royalty. "Sultana Alia has given birth and asked me to send in any friends and family who arrive. Both mom and baby are perfectly healthy."

Jay sighed in relief, as did his mother. "Thank you." he told the doctor before they all headed down the hallway toward his sister's hospital room. When they entered it was to see Alia sitting up in a hospital bed, holding a small bundle wrapped in a pink blanket. Shang was sitting in a chair next to the bed smiling at the bundle in his wife's arms. They both looked up and smiled at their visitors.

Jasmine set Shay on the ground and he scampered around the bed to his dad, who scooped him up onto the edge of the bed next to his mom.

"Hey, you look awful." Jay joked to his sister. In unison, Lonnie and Jasmine swatted his arms.

"Gee, thanks." Alia smirked tiredly at him. After being in labor for about five hours, her face was sweaty with strands of black hair sticking to her face. "Just for that, you're not allowed to meet your niece."

"Aw, come on, Sis. I was joking. You wouldn't deny Layla the chance to meet her new little cousin, would you?" Jay pouted, lifting his daughter up so their matching pouts were side-by-side.

Alia chuckled tiredly, shaking her head in amusement. Instead of answering, she turned her attention to Shay, who moved to sit against her pillow next to her. He was staring down at his new little sister curiously.

"Shay, this is your new little sister; Adelyn." Alia told her son gently, shifting the bundle up a bit so the baby's face was more visible. Jay, his mom, and Lonnie all moved around the bed so they could also see the newest member of their family.

Jay could easily see Alia in Adelyn's face, but her eyes also looked a bit like Shang's. Her newborn skin had a red tint, which he knew would go away as she got older, but he guessed it would be the same shade as Shay's. Her eyes were a dark brown similar to Shang's, and she had a messy tuft of black hair sticking up on her head.

"Oh, she's precious." Jasmine whispered, smiling at her new granddaughter. "She looks just like you." she added to Alia.

"I don't know, I think she looks like Shang." Alia answered, smiling down at her baby. "Where's dad?" she asked, glancing curiously between her mom and brother.

"He's actually meeting Mulan and Li Shang at the airport with a limo, so he can bring them here. We're setting up one of the spare rooms in the palace for them so they can visit for a few days." Jasmine answered.

"Thank you for that." Shang told Jasmine gratefully.

"Mommy?" Shay asked, gaining his parents' attention.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"How long do we have to keep it?" he asked, looking warily at his new sister.

Alia had to smother a smile while everyone else tried to stifle their laughter.

OoOoO

Alia sighed quietly in relief after setting Adelyn in her crib. She'd just spent the last couple hours feeding and burping her daughter before pacing endlessly in an attempt to get her to fall asleep.

Now, she rested her elbows on the edge of the crib and watched her daughter sleep, smiling tiredly but warmly. She knew she should head straight to bed, since she'd only get maybe a few hours of rest before she'd need to get up again, but she just wanted to take a moment to watch her daughter.

The door creaked almost silently before Shang joined her at the crib, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"My mom said she can get up with Addy tonight so you can sleep." Shang told her quietly. "And no, she said you can't argue."

Alia sighed in relief. "Thanks. I'm exhausted." she admitted, resting her head on his shoulder. It'd been a couple days since she had Addy, and they brought her home this morning. And Alia hadn't been given many chances to rest. She'd had a short video conference with Princess Attina of Atlantica regarding their ocean conservation program, one branch of many conservation programs Alia had started over the years. Alia had also greeted Carlos and Jane when they arrived that morning with their three year old son Cameron. With that between feeding and changing a new baby every few hours, and she was more than ready to sleep for more than a couple hours.

"How's Shay?" Alia asked after a few moments.

"Well, me, Carlos, and Jay set up a huge pillow fort in Shay's room for him and Cameron. Layla hung out for a bit before Lonnie took her back to her own room. Carlos and Jay were telling the boys a story before bed when I left them. Shay will be fine after he's had a chance to get used to being a big brother." Shang answered, kissing the top of her head. "My parents said I was the same way when Lonnie was born."

Shang and Alia, and Lonnie and Jay all lived in the Agrabah palace with their families, but they all had their own wings of the palace, so it was like having their own homes and some privacy away from everyone else when they needed it. Both families also had properties in Northern Wei, since they had family and Lonnie had work sometimes in Northern Wei.

Shang had bought a small cottage in Northern Wei near his family home about a year before he and Alia got married, a year after he proposed to her. They frequently stayed down there when they had time so the kids had time with their dad's side of the family.

"Oh, and Jay says you're not allowed to help with any Sultana stuff for at least a couple weeks." Shang added.

Alia narrowed her eyes slightly up at him. "Oh, I'm not _allowed_, am I?" she asked sarcastically.

Shang quickly kissed her cheek. "Don't argue. Just take it easy and enjoy some time with our new daughter. I'm taking a week off." he added temptingly.

Alia rolled her eyes and sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I suppose that does sound nice." she admitted.

"Come on." Shang backed away from the crib, taking Alia's hand in his and tugging her after him. "You can go back to being your strong, independent leader self in a couple weeks. Right now, let's get some sleep and let my mom take care of Addy tonight. She said she wants to hog as much time with her new granddaughter as she can before her and Dad have to leave in a few days."

Alia relented, following her husband to their bedroom next to the nursery, petting Rajah II, Raisa's son, as she left. He was a bit more playful than his grandfather had been, but he preferred sleeping in one of the children's rooms to protect them.

Shang and Alia's bedroom was similar in style to Alia's old childhood room, but obviously different to make it theirs. The bed was a regular square shaped queen sized bed with dark blue curtains hanging around the frame, with matching blue and cream bedding. There were Chinese style lanterns hanging from the ceiling, and a few Chinese tapestries on the walls.

Alia took off her purple silk kimono robe, an anniversary gift from Shang from several years ago, and climbed into bed. Shang changed into his pajamas and climbed in with her, wrapping an arm around her waist and holding her close. Alia drifted off to sleep within minutes, warm and comfy.

It felt like she'd only just closed her eyes when she was jostled awake. Blinking sleep from her eyes, she turned her head and was drowsily aware of someone small climbing over her waist and snuggling down into the small space between her and Shang.

She leaned her head back slightly to glimpse a head of messy black hair under her chin, someone small snuggling into her chest. Alia smiled sleepily, wrapping her arms around her son and holding him close. She looked over his head to see Shang blink his eyes open. He met her eyes for a moment before glancing down at their late night visitor. He smiled, scooting closer and wrapping his arms around his wife and son.

Alia returned the smile, laying her head back down on the pillow and snuggling close to her son and husband.

While most of her biological family all lived under the same roof, a majority of her extended family and close friends that she considered family lived spread out over Auradon, so it wasn't everyday they got to all see each other. But all it really took was a phone call and they would all come running, because that's what family does.

When Carlos and Jane graduated from Magical Institute Training, MIT, they all traveled to watch them walk across the stage. And stood by Carlos' side when his mother showed up and tried to ruin the day.

They were there for every wedding. Mal and Ben's. Alia and Shang's. Jay and Lonnie. Carlos and Jane. Evie and Doug.

They were there for every birth. Bailey, Shay, Cameron, Layla, now Adelyn, and soon Doug and Evie's firstborn and whoever came after.

They were there for every funeral and death. Jay and Alia's grandfather, the former Sultan. Lonnie and Shang's Great-Grandmother Fa, Mulan's grandmother. Carlos' best friend and dog, Dude. Ben's grandpa Maurice. Alia's beloved tiger Raisa.

They all watched live when Jordan premiered her own TV show, starring Evie's 4 Hearts in her first episode.

They all traveled to Auradon City to be there for Mal and Ben at Bailey's christening.

The miles apart and busy lives made it difficult, but they would always be there for each other, no matter the distance.

Because no matter what came at them, they were family.

**OoOoO**

**THE END**

**Well, I'm sad to say this is the end of the Stolen Half stories. **

**Hard to believe I posted the first Stolen Half less then three years ago, it feels like ages ago.**

**Thank you to everyone who read these stories, and for all the kind words and ideas. I hope this epilogue brought the story to an end that you're all happy with, please review and let me know what you all thought; let me know what you liked most about this story.**

**I'm not sure when or if I will be posting a new fanfiction. I have several story ideas in my head, but none that I'm far enough into to feel comfortable posting anytime soon.**

**I wish you all a Happy New Year, and hope 2020 is good to you all. **


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